Imaging Lyme disease with special PET tracers
Official title: ImmunoPET Probes for the Imaging of Lyme Disease
Funded at Hunter College · NIH-11372972 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new imaging tool using PET probes is being developed to visualize Lyme disease in people affected by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Hunter College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 19, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $548,497 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI175417-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11372972 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with suspected or known Lyme disease who may benefit from improved imaging to confirm infection or monitor treatment.
✕Less likely to help
If the disease is not detectable with the new imaging approach or if access to PET imaging is limited, some patients may not experience direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to create and test first-in-class radiopharmaceuticals that can non-invasively image Lyme disease in patients. Researchers will synthesize the probes, characterize them, and validate them in living systems to ensure they accurately highlight Bbsl infection. If successful, these probes could help doctors diagnose Lyme disease earlier and monitor treatment responses using PET scans. The work focuses on translating basic science into a patient-friendly imaging method that could guide care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from earlier and more accurate Lyme disease diagnosis and better monitoring of treatment efficacy through PET imaging.
How similar studies have gone: Prior imaging approaches for infectious diseases exist, but this is an early-stage, first-in-class effort specifically for Lyme disease imaging.
Where this research is happening
-
Hunter College
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zeglis, Brian Matthew — Hunter College
- Study coordinator: Zeglis, Brian Matthew
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.
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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.
-
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.