New Nasal Vaccine Offers Revolutionary Approach to Respiratory Protection

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have introduced a groundbreaking nasal vaccine that could significantly alter the landscape of respiratory disease prevention. In a study published in Nature Microbiology, the team demonstrates that their novel vaccine, known as the antibiotic-inactivated Bordetella pertussis (AIBP), effectively prevents severe disease while also reducing bacterial transmission.

Led by Professor Kingston Mills and Dr. Davoud Jazayeri from the university’s School of Biochemistry and Immunology, this innovative approach utilizes a needle-free mucosal vaccine platform. By delivering the vaccine intranasally, it aims to induce durable local immunity directly at the infection site, a strategy that could revolutionize the prevention of whooping cough and enhance the overall market for respiratory bacterial vaccines.

Current vaccines for whooping cough, while crucial for protecting infants from severe illness, have notable limitations. They do not prevent bacterial colonization in the nose and throat, allowing the disease to spread within communities. The global resurgence of pertussis, despite widespread vaccination efforts, highlights the urgent need for improved vaccines.

The team’s research focuses on the unique mechanism of the AIBP vaccine, which activates a T-cell-driven mucosal immune response. This response offers protection to both the lungs and upper respiratory tract without inducing unwanted systemic inflammation. In preclinical studies, the AIBP vaccine provided complete protection against infections in both the lungs and nasal cavity, outperforming existing acellular pertussis vaccines.

Professor Mills emphasized the significance of their findings, stating, “We’ve applied our understanding of protective immune pathways to engineer a fundamentally different kind of vaccine. By stimulating immunity where infections begin, at the respiratory mucosa, we can offer stronger protection and potentially interrupt community transmission.”

The implications of this research extend beyond whooping cough. The AIBP platform could be adaptable to combat other pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This adaptability positions the AIBP vaccine as a potential next-generation solution in the ongoing battle against infectious diseases.

The study, titled “Respiratory immunization using antibiotic-inactivated Bordetella pertussis confers T cell-mediated protection against nasal infection in mice,” is expected to have a substantial impact on future vaccine development. As the global health community continues to grapple with respiratory infections, innovations like the AIBP vaccine could pave the way for more effective prevention strategies.

For further details, refer to the study in Nature Microbiology, available at DOI: 10.1038/s41564-025-02166-6.