Advancing Next-Generation Pertussis Vaccines

Dr Géraldine Blanchard-Rohner, member of the Geneva Centre for Inflammation Research, has been awarded a four-year grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for an innovative research project on next-generation pertussis vaccines.

The project will investigate whether new pertussis vaccines based on genetically detoxified pertussis toxin (gdPT) can overcome immune memory imprinting induced by current acellular pertussis vaccines. This major challenge may limit long-term vaccine effectiveness. Using unique Swiss cohorts and advanced approaches including single-cell immunoprofiling, B- and T-cell repertoire analysis, and mucosal immunology, the researchers aim to better understand how immune memory shapes responses to pertussis vaccination.

The project is conducted in collaboration with co-applicants Prof. Dimitri Diavatopoulos and Dr Martijn Huijnen (Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen), with GCIR Prof. Arnaud Didierlaurent participating as a research partner. Together, the teams in Geneva and Nijmegen aim to generate insights that could guide the development of more effective maternal and infant pertussis vaccination strategies and strengthen public health.

More information about the project on the SNSF website: https://data.snf.ch/grants/grant/10008597

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