A human challenge trial* has shown a new vaccine could offer better protection against whooping cough.
The new study, delivered in partnership between the University of Southampton, University Hospital Southampton, and the University of Oxford, is the first to show that a vaccine can stop the bacteria that cause whooping cough from living in the nose and throat.
This is a key step in preventing the spread of infection and with further trials and regulatory approval, this vaccine could be given to adults or children.
The study was supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and sponsored by ILiAD Biotechnologies.
The vaccine, called BPZE1, was tested in a clinical trial delivered through the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility (CRF) .
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Professor Robert Read , who led the study at the NIHR Southampton BRC and University of Southampton, said: "This is the first time a whooping cough vaccine has been shown to prevent the bacteria from colonising the nose and throat in humans. That could represent a big step forward in stopping the spread of the disease."
The trial was designed using a world-first whooping cough controlled human infection model developed at the University of Southampton as part of the international PERISCOPE consortium.
Dr Diane Gbesemete, Principal Investigator at the NIHR Southampton BRC and University Hospital Southampton, said: "Despite high vaccination rates, we're still seeing outbreaks of whooping cough. This study shows that BPZE1 has the potential to offer better protection and help reduce transmission."
Whooping cough resurgence
Whooping cough is a serious and sometimes deadly disease that affects millions of people worldwide each year. It is a highly contagious infection that affects the lungs and airways, and can be especially dangerous for young babies - particularly before they can complete their first doses of vaccine offered at 8, 12 and 16 weeks in the UK programme.
Although vaccines for whooping cough are already part of routine childhood immunisations in the UK, they don't provide lifelong protection and don't stop people from carrying and spreading the bacteria.
A new report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), highlights that 2024 whooping cough numbers were at their worst in 30 years. Data in the Annual Pertussis Report for 2024: Laboratory confirmed cases of pertussis in England shows that 2024 was particularly bad for pertussis disease - another name for whooping cough - with 14,879 cases, the highest number of confirmed cases seen in England since enhanced surveillance began in 1994.
The report explains that pertussis peaks every 3-5 years, but COVID-19 social-distancing control measures led to very low disease levels from 2020 until 2023, when cases started to increase, leading to the 2024 resurgence. Tragically, 11 babies with pertussis died in 2024.
How the study worked
The CHAMPION-1 study tested whether BPZE1 - a weakened version of the whooping cough bacteria - could safely protect people from infection. The vaccine was given as a single spray into the nose.
*A total of 53 adult volunteers took part in the trial at the NIHR Southampton CRF and in Oxford. Two to four months after receiving either the vaccine or a placebo, participants were exposed to the bacteria in a carefully controlled setting. They then stayed in a quarantine facility for 16 nights, where researchers monitored their health and collected samples.
Before leaving, all participants were given antibiotics to clear any remaining bacteria. The results, now published in The Lancet Microbe , show that BPZE1 was safe and well tolerated, with no serious side effects. Most people who received the vaccine had little or no bacteria in their nose after being exposed. This means they could be less likely to pass the infection on to others.
The vaccine also triggered strong immune responses in both the nose and the blood. This could suggest it offers long-lasting protection.
Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton said: "This government-supported trial marks a major breakthrough in our fight against whooping cough.
"Unlike the existing vaccine for pregnant women, which protects babies in the womb and prevents nine out of 10 infant deaths, this new nasal spray vaccine works in a completely different way - by stopping the bacteria from living in the nose and throat. That means it could cut transmission and offer longer-lasting protection for everyone, not just newborns.
"It's a powerful showcase of the UK's world-class research sector driving innovation to protect future generations."
Professor Marian Knight, Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure, said: "This important research shows how bringing together industry and our world-leading NIHR infrastructure researchers leads to crucial, globally-significant discoveries. This study takes us a step closer to stopping the spread of whooping cough, and eventually eradicating it altogether. This shows how NIHR research, funded by the public, is at the frontier of protecting us from emerging health threats."
ILiAD Biotechnologies, the company developing BPZE1, plans to begin Phase 3 trials next year. These larger studies will test the vaccine in more people and could lead to it being approved for wider use.
