GLA supports research to uncover the immune and nervous system interactions behind persistent Lyme disease symptoms, aiming to develop new therapeutic targets.
GLA is supporting innovative research to understand how interactions between the immune and nervous systems may contribute to persistent pain and other long-term symptoms that can follow Lyme disease. The project also aims to establish a new animal model for studying persistent Lyme symptoms, creating opportunities to identify therapeutic targets and accelerate the development of future treatments.
For some individuals with Lyme disease, pain, fatigue, and other symptoms can persist long after the infection has been treated, significantly affecting quality of life. These symptoms may be linked to changes in the peripheral nervous system, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood, limiting the development of effective treatments. With support from GLA, researchers at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Isaac Chiu and Dr. Jun Huh, are working to address this critical knowledge gap by investigating how Lyme disease affects the peripheral nervous system and contributes to nerve dysfunction and persistent pain.
As part of this work, the team is developing a mouse model to determine whether long-term symptoms reported by some Lyme disease patients, including pain, fatigue, memory problems, and cognitive difficulties, can be reproduced and studied in the laboratory. They will investigate whether immune responses triggered by Lyme disease continue to affect the central and peripheral nervous systems, potentially driving long-term symptoms. Finally, they will test whether targeting pain pathways can reduce chronic pain and neurological symptoms in the animals.
A key focus of the research is determining whether immune responses triggered during Lyme disease can continue to affect the nervous system long after infection has been treated. Dr. Chiu notes that their work may uncover previously unrecognized neuroimmune mechanisms that contribute to persistent symptoms and reveal new opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
The project exemplifies GLA's commitment to supporting innovative, high-impact research that addresses critical gaps in understanding and treating the long-term consequences of Lyme disease. It may also help overcome a longstanding challenge in the field: the absence of a well-characterized animal model that reproduces persistent symptoms associated with the disease.
As GLA Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Armin Alaedini explains, “Research into persistent symptoms following Lyme disease has been hindered by major unanswered questions about the biological processes that drive them. Studies like this are essential because they bring together innovative approaches to uncover disease mechanisms and lay the groundwork for more effective interventions.”
Ultimately, a better understanding of these mechanisms could help accelerate progress toward improved diagnostics and treatments for patients experiencing persistent symptoms.
About the Researchers:
Isaac Ming-Cheng Chiu, PhD, is a Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Chiu investigates how interactions between the nervous and immune systems shape pain, host defense, and immune responses.
Jun Huh, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Immunology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Huh focuses on the immune system's influence on animal behavior and the central nervous system.
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