Antibody markers that may predict lingering Lyme symptoms after treatment
Official title: Auto-antibodies as predictive markers for Post treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome
Funded at Tufts University Boston · NIH-11362336 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at specific autoantibodies tied to host lipids to see if they can indicate who might developPost-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) after antibiotics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tufts University Boston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 5, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $664,429 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI178725-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11362336 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who have had Lyme disease and received antibiotic treatment, especially those with lingering symptoms.
✕Less likely to help
People without a history of Lyme disease or without PTLDS symptoms may not benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
If you’ve had Lyme disease and completed antibiotic treatment, it's possible to still have symptoms. Researchers will study antibodies against host lipids that appear early in infection and how they relate to PTLDS. The study uses animal models and human samples to understand whether these autoantibodies are linked to ongoing symptoms or simply signals of exposure. This information could guide future tests or therapies for people at risk of PTLDS.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to earlier identification of people at risk for PTLDS and inform future treatment approaches.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown anti-phospholipid antibodies can arise after Lyme infection, suggesting this is a plausible area of study.
Where this research is happening
-
Tufts University Boston
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hu, Linden T — Tufts University Boston
- Study coordinator: Hu, Linden T
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding why some people have ongoing symptoms after Lyme disease
A long-term study follows people diagnosed with acute Lyme disease to see who develops persistent symptoms and why, with care from a team of Lyme experts.
-
CSF Protein Map in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease
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Lyme disease brain health: tracking brain signals and blood clues after treatment
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Lyme disease symptoms lingering after treatment may be driven by special bacterial fragments
A human-friendly look at a study exploring why some Lyme patients keep symptoms after antibiotics and whether tiny fragments from the bacteria are to blame.
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Understanding Lyme disease immune signals to predict recovery after antibiotics
A research project at MIT aims to find immune biomarkers that tell which Lyme patients will recover after standard antibiotics and who might have lasting symptoms.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.