Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 6: Scientists at The University of Texas (UT) at Austin in the United States have unveiled groundbreaking research that could revolutionize whooping cough vaccines, bringing the eradication of this persistent disease closer to reality. Their work focuses on exploiting two critical vulnerabilities in the infection mechanism.

Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, was a major cause of childhood mortality in the US and globally before the advent of vaccines in the 1940s. However, the disease has alarmingly resurged in recent years, partly due to declining vaccination rates following the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2024, numerous outbreaks overwhelmed public health resources and hospitals, grappling with a sudden surge of patients, predominantly infants who are often too young for vaccination and experience the most severe consequences.

Now, a collaborative team of researchers from UT’s McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and Department of Molecular Biosciences has achieved significant progress in understanding and bolstering immunity against pertussis.

A key factor contributing to the severity of pertussis infections is pertussis toxin (PT), a potent chemical produced by the bacteria. This toxin weakens the patient's immune system and triggers many of the debilitating symptoms characteristic of whooping cough.

The new study, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, centers on two highly effective antibodies, hu11E6 and hu1B7, which neutralize PT through distinct mechanisms.

“There are currently several promising new pertussis vaccines in the research and clinical trial phases,” stated Jennifer Maynard, professor of chemical engineering at the Cockrell School of Engineering and the corresponding author of the study. “Our findings could be readily integrated into future vaccine formulations, leading to improved overall effectiveness and a longer duration of protection.”

Professor Maynard emphasized that training the immune system to target the most susceptible sites on the toxin is anticipated to yield more potent vaccines. Furthermore, a more effective and longer-lasting vaccine could encourage greater public uptake, ultimately contributing to higher vaccination coverage.

Beyond their role in guiding future vaccine design, the identified antibodies, hu1B7 and hu11E6, also present a promising avenue for developing therapeutic treatments for infants already infected with whooping cough or those at high risk of contracting the disease.