Amid global surge of whooping cough cases, new antibodies offer hope in vaccine development

Once a leading cause of childhood death, whopping cough, scientifically known as pertussis, saw a decline after vaccines against the disease were introduced in the 1940s. But it seems evident now that a resurgence is imminent with cases of whooping cough increasing, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine immunisation.

Now, research from The University of Texas offers hope. Scientists have identified two antibodies, hu11E6 and hu1B7, which assist in neutralising the pertussis toxin (PT), a chemical component associated with whooping cough that weakens the immune system.

Using an imaging technique called cryo-electron microscopy, researchers were able to identify that the antibody hu11E6 blocked the toxin from attaching to the human cell, while hu1B7 stopped it from entering the cell. This groundbreaking finding forms the blueprint to improve vaccines for pertussis.

Jennifer Maynard, the professor of chemical engineering at the Cockrell School of Engineering and corresponding author of the study, said, “There are currently several promising new pertussis vaccines in the research and clinical trial phases. Our findings could be incorporated into future versions quite easily, improving overall effectiveness and longevity of protection.”

Maynard also explained that mRNA technology, used for developing the COVID-19 vaccine, can generate safer and more potent new recombinant acellular pertussis vaccines.

“Training the immune system to target the most vulnerable sites on the toxin is expected to create more effective vaccines. And the more effective and longer-lasting a vaccine is, hopefully, the more people will take it,” Maynard continued.

In addition to being used in the vaccines, the hu11E6 and hu1B7 antibodies were proved by Maynard’s team as therapeutic medicines for infected and high-risk infants.

Globally, whopping cough causes around 200,000 deaths per year. Though modern vaccines exist, the effectiveness of the same only lasts about 2-5 years. Last year, the United States of America’s New York City saw a 169% increase in whooping cough cases since 2023. Australia has also been plagued by the disease, with 41,000 cases being reported this year.

Health