# Enhancing efficacy of pertussis vaccines

> **NIH NIH R01** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $370,183

## Abstract

Alum is the most widely used adjuvant in acellular vaccines for bacterial pathogens including Bordetella
pertussis, the causative agent of pertussis or whooping cough. However, it may not be the most effective
adjuvant to elicit long-term protection when the mechanism involves Th1-type immune responses, since it
skews antibody and T cell responses towards Th2. Since alum activates strong antigen-specific responses and
provides protection in the short term, leveraging these properties with an adjuvant that shapes the immune
repertoire towards a Th1/Th17-type response may elicit a more protective response that confers life-long
immunity.
 Despite high vaccine coverage, the incidence of pertussis is increasing in the USA, Europe and other
countries. The current acellular pertussis vaccines (aPV) are only partly effective, compared with whole cell
vaccines (wPV). However, the reactogenicity of wPV limits its use. We identified an outer membrane protein,
Bordetella Colonization Factor A (BcfA), and show that it has adjuvant activity and enhances antibody
responses to protein antigens. In an intranasal murine model of B. pertussis infection, we show that addition of
BcfA to the aPV induces Th1-skewed antibody responses and provides better protection against infection. We
hypothesize that the combined activity of alum and BcfA will result in synergistic enhancement of protective
immune responses in mice against B. pertussis.
 In Specific Aim 1, we will test the signaling pathways activated by BcfA, alone and together with alum.
We hypothesize that combination treatment with these adjuvants will reshape the profile of activated cytokines
produced by inflammatory cells. In Specific Aim 2, we will determine how combined immunization with BcfA
and alum alters the phenotype of antibody and T cell responses to B. pertussis antigens. In Specific Aim 3, we
hypothesize that the Th1/Th17 skewed immune responses induced by the combination of alum and BcfA will
result in better clearance of a B. pertussis challenge, and long-lived immunologic memory. This hypothesis will
be tested by determining the effect of combined alum/BcfA immunization on B. pertussis clearance from the
murine respiratory tract.
IMPACT: We have identified a novel adjuvant, BcfA, and hypothesize that the potent responses induced by
alum will be shaped to a Th1 type response by BcfA thereby providing better protection against B. pertussis
infection. This adjuvant combination may be applicable to other diseases where Th1 type immunity is important
for protection.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9928346
- **Project number:** 5R01AI125560-06
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** RAJENDAR K DEORA
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $370,183
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9928346

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9928346, Enhancing efficacy of pertussis vaccines (5R01AI125560-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9928346. Licensed CC0.

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