Despite high vaccination rates, whooping cough continues to circulate globally — leading to 160,700 deaths annually in children younger than five. The problem is that current vaccines against whooping cough, also known as pertussis, protect individuals from disease but do not prevent infection of the respiratory tract, which allows the bacteria to spread to others.
Now, researchers at Trinity College Dublin are testing a new idea: a nasal vaccine designed to build immunity right where these infections begin.
In a study published in Nature Microbiology, the team showed that the antibiotic-inactivated Bordetella pertussis (AIBP) vaccine not only protected against severe disease but also blocked bacterial transmission in mice — a new milestone achievement for whooping cough vaccines.
The research, led by Kingston Mills and Davoud Jazayeri, explores a needle-free vaccine that targets mucosal immunity — the body’s first line of defense in the airways. By triggering local immune responses directly in the nasal passages, the approach could enhance protection and reduce community spread of respiratory pathogens beyond whooping cough, a long-standing gap in the global vaccine arsenal.
Preventing the spread
The new AIBP vaccine prevented the spread of disease by inducing a T-cell-driven mucosal immune response that protects both the lungs and nasal cavity without provoking harmful systemic inflammation.
In preclinical studies, animals given the intranasal AIBP vaccine were fully protected from B. pertussis infection, outperforming standard injected vaccines. The findings suggest the technology could serve as a next-generation platform adaptable for other respiratory pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and M. tuberculosis — all of which remain major global health and economic burdens.
The project, initially funded through a Science Foundation Ireland Frontiers for the Future Award, is now advancing under the ARC Hub for Therapeutics — a €32 million national translational research initiative co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme 2021–2027.
Industry opportunities
For the pharmaceutical industry, the findings build on a renewed focus on vaccines that act where infections take hold — in the airways.
The COVID-19 pandemic made clear that while injectable vaccines can prevent severe illness, they are not as effective at stopping viral spread. In response, companies began testing nasal formulations designed to elicit mucosal immunity.
AstraZeneca repurposed its adenovirus-based COVID-19 shot into a nasal spray, though early trials in humans showed only modest immune responses. Bharat Biotech introduced iNCOVACC, an intranasal COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in India, which offered ease of delivery but limited data on long-term efficacy. CanSino Biologics pursued a similar strategy with Convidecia Air, a mist version of its existing vaccine authorized in China.
While these efforts demonstrated feasibility, consistent and durable protection has remained elusive. Trinity’s AIBP results may add new momentum to the field by showing that airway-targeted immunization might achieve the dual goal of disease prevention and transmission control — a landmark that could redefine respiratory vaccine development.
