Bacterial cell-wall pieces and lingering Lyme symptoms
Official title: Defining the host and pathogen determinants of peptidoglycan induced pathophysiology in Lyme disease
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11169005 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether unique fragments of the Lyme bacterium's cell wall cause ongoing joint and nerve symptoms in people who had Lyme disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $512,391 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI173256-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11169005 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who previously had Lyme disease and still have joint, heart, or neurological symptoms after antibiotic treatment, especially those willing to provide blood or joint fluid samples, would be the best candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People with Lyme who are fully recovered, have unrelated causes for their symptoms, or need immediate clinical treatment rather than research participation are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
You'll hear researchers focus on tiny pieces of the Lyme bacterium's cell wall (peptidoglycan) to learn how long they stay in the body and which tissues they reach. They will check joint fluid and other patient samples for these fragments and determine their chemical makeup. In parallel, they will track the same fragments in animals and test whether those fragments trigger joint inflammation. Together these steps aim to connect persistent bacterial fragments with ongoing symptoms after antibiotic treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new tests to detect lingering bacterial fragments and new treatments to remove or block their effects, reducing chronic Lyme symptoms.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier work showed Lyme peptidoglycan in patients' joint fluid and caused arthritis in mice, but the chemical uniqueness of these fragments and their role in persistent symptoms is a newer and less tested area.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Jutras, Brandon Lyon — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Jutras, Brandon Lyon
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
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
A short study to map proteins in spinal fluid of people who had Lyme disease and still feel sick after standard treatment, to understand what’s going on.
-
Lyme disease vaccine research aimed at preventing infection
Researchers are developing a Lyme disease vaccine by studying how the immune system responds to Borrelia burgdorferi and testing vaccine approaches to prevent illness.
-
Lyme disease brain health: tracking brain signals and blood clues after treatment
This study follows people with early Lyme disease and compares them to healthy volunteers to see how the brain and blood markers change over a year after starting antibiotics.
-
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.
-
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.