How the Lyme disease bacterium controls its harmful genes
Official title: Global virulence regulatory network in the Lyme disease pathogen
Funded at University of South Florida · NIH-11252890 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are mapping how the Lyme bacterium turns on and off the genes that help it survive in ticks and cause infection in people.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tampa, United States) |
| Project start | January 2, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $509,130 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI181738-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11252890 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Although this project is laboratory and animal-focused and does not enroll people, patients with confirmed Lyme disease or recent tick exposure could be candidates for future clinical studies that build on these findings.
✕Less likely to help
People with conditions unrelated to Lyme disease or non-Borrelia infections are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
What this research studies
The team is studying a bacterial protein called BosR that helps Borrelia burgdorferi switch on disease-related genes during the tick-to-mammal cycle. They will map which genes BosR controls, study the DNA sequences that regulate bosR itself, and determine how BosR binds DNA using molecular and structural lab techniques. Work will include experiments in tick and animal models and biochemical and genetic assays in the laboratory. Results aim to show how the bacterium adapts between tick and mammal environments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new targets to prevent or treat Lyme disease by blocking the bacterium's ability to turn on infection-related genes.
How similar studies have gone: Previous molecular studies of bacterial regulatory proteins have helped reveal infection mechanisms, but the specific BosR regulatory mechanisms being targeted here are newly characterized and represent novel work.
Where this research is happening
-
University of South Florida
Tampa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ouyang, Zhiming — University of South Florida
- Study coordinator: Ouyang, Zhiming
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Understanding why some people have ongoing symptoms after Lyme disease
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CSF Protein Map in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease
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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.
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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.
-
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.