Pertussis composite nanofibrous membranes as an acellular transdermal whooping cough vaccine

Whooping cough has globally resurfaced due to the suboptimal quality of the traditional vaccines, cyclic variations in its pattern and discovery of new strains of the causative agent, Bordetella pertussis. Our studies provide a proof of principle for the development of a novel, solid state vaccine to counter the disease by successfully immobilizing pertussis toxin (PT), which is 200 times larger than molecules traditionally delivered through the skin, in electrospun nanofibrous membranes of the polymer, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The transdermal delivery of the functional protein was verified using an in vitro assay utilizing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. The semiquantitative assay allowed us to estimate the extent of clumping of the adherent cells in the presence of functional PT from the basal media and homogenized constructs of EFT-200 human skin organotypic models (MatTek). The functionality of PT was compared to that of standard solutions of known concentrations as low as 6.25 ng/ml to quantify the findings. The successful delivery of biologically active PT through a model of uncompromised full thickness human skin indicates that the nanocomposite coating is a promising candidate for a novel transdermal vaccine, and may be employed in future strategies that would supplant traditional vaccination methods.