The MIT MAESTRO study explores why some people develop long-term illnesses like chronic Lyme disease and Long COVID after infections. Using advanced technology and teamwork with academic and industry partners, we aim to discover who is likely to experience ongoing symptoms and why. Our goal is to find biomarkers that help identify those who will or will not recover, providing useful information to improve clinical care, trials, and treatments.

We plan to study incomplete recovery by observing 240 participants divided into 4 groups of 60 each: Healthy Volunteers, Acute Lyme (less than 4 weeks), Chronic Lyme (more than 1 year), and Long COVID (more than 1 year). The MAESTRO team will analyze blood, saliva, and urine samples, and may also examine sweat, throat, and vaginal samples for detailed antibody measurement and metagenomics. We aim to understand immune responses to infections in various body areas and identify pathogens' genetic material in different fluids. We will assess eye movements, cognitive function, and flexibility, since the Lyme disease-causing bacteria and the COVID-19 virus can affect the brain and nerves, and patients often report severe neurological issues.

Given the current weaknesses in diagnostic testing for Lyme disease, we are also curious to see if RightEye is able to detect subtle abnormalities in eye movement early in acute Lyme disease to potentially identify infection.