Understanding Auto-antibodies in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome
Official title: Auto-antibodies as predictive markers for Post treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome
Funded at Tufts University Boston · NIH-11136933 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at specific antibodies in people with Lyme disease to understand why some develop long-lasting symptoms after treatment.
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 | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $658,436 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI178725-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11136933 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This research is relevant for patients who have been infected with Lyme disease, especially those experiencing persistent symptoms after antibiotic treatment.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who have not had Lyme disease or who fully recover from Lyme disease without persistent symptoms may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi, which can hide in the body for a long time. We've found that this bacterium uses parts of your own body's fats, called phospholipids, to build its outer layer. This might cause your immune system to create special antibodies against your own phospholipids. We want to see if these 'auto-antibodies' are higher in people who develop Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS) and if they play a role in causing these ongoing symptoms.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to predict who will develop PTLDS and potentially new treatments targeting these auto-antibodies.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary studies have shown increased levels of anti-phospholipid antibodies in PTLDS patients, suggesting this approach has a basis in prior findings.
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
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.
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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.