MIT MAESTRO Study
Mucosal And systEmic Signatures Triggered by Responses to infectious Organisms (MAESTRO)
Want to participate in MAESTRO?
Click here to fill out the eligibility survey.
We’ll reach out if you are are eligible to participate.
Advancing understanding of chronic illness following infection and identifying novel biomarkers of Lyme disease and Long COVID.
The MIT MAESTRO study leverages leading edge technology through collaborations with academic and industry partners. The goal of our study is to investigate why some people develop chronic illness from acute infections using the lens of both chronic Lyme and Long Covid - while also answering one very important question: Who is likely to develop chronic symptoms after infection and why?
We aim to identify biomarkers that can distinguish individuals who will or will not return to health and to generate actionable information that can advance clinical care, clinical trials, and future therapeutics.
Study Overview
Currently Recruiting!
The goal of the study is to conduct research on adults ages 18-65 years old willing to travel to MIT with:
Healthy Volunteers
Acute Lyme (< 4 wks)
Chronic Lyme (> 1 yr)
Long COVID (> 1 yr)
Suspected Lyme
If you or someone you know has been bit by a tick, been diagnosed, think you’ve had Lyme Disease, or were treated for Lyme and still feel its effects, we invite you to join in our effort! Let’s stop Lyme disease in its tracks!
Are you still managing lingering symptoms of COVID-19? We want to work with you!
One of the benefits of participating in this study is that you will receive test results and biometrics using some of the most cutting-edge technology available.
We also want you to walk away having learned a little more about yourself! As a participant of the study, you can receive reports you can take back to your healthcare team. Test results and biometrics are available for release to participants in a research capacity and are not to be used for diagnostic purposes. Please discuss any personal medical or health concerns with your clinician.
Am I Eligible to Participate in MIT MAESTRO?
STEP 1: Fill Out Our Eligibility Survey Here
The first step is to fill out our survey to see if you are eligible for our study. If you meet the study inclusion criteria for one of the groups we are researching, we will contact you by email to let you know if you’ve been selected to participate!
Step 2: Virtual Visit: E-Consent
If you meet inclusion criteria and are eligible to participate in our study, we will contact you via email to schedule a Zoom virtual visit. In the email will be a copy of the consent form. You will meet with a clinical research professional to thoroughly go over the consent process, the specifics of the study, risks/benefits of participation, and answer any questions you have. The e-consent virtual visit usually takes about 45 minutes.
Step 3: Fill Out Surveys
If you have consented to participate in the study, we will send you surveys to complete regarding additional demographics, past medical history, tick exposure, COVID exposure and a review of systems/current symptoms. The surveys take approximately 60-120 minutes to complete. Before you come to MIT for your research visit, we will also have you complete a short baseline cognitive assessment on your computer at home (BrainCheck). This should take about 10 minutes.
Step 4: In Person Visit at MIT
You will arrive at the MIT Center for Clinical and Translational Research (directions and parking instructions below) and the study team will greet you. You will participate in a series of tests. Our team will walk you through the process and what you will need to do. You will be asked to provide a few different samples including: blood, saliva, Urine, optional throat swab, optional vaginal/menstrual samples, and optional sweat samples (not currently available). We are also performing testing with a variety of non-invasive devices: RightEye (eye movement), WAVi (brain electrical activity), Nevisense (optional, skin barrier integrity), NASA Lean Test (optional, autonomic function). Prior to each sample collection or test, we will confirm that you still provide your consent. You can always decline your participation in different parts of the study. The in-person MIT visit usually takes about 3.5-4 hours.
Step 5: Follow Up Virtual Visit
We will be sending a very brief survey to check in on you and see how you are feeling and to assess for post-exertional malaise (PEM). We may also ask a small number of you to repeat the cognitive assessment (BrainCheck). We will have you record PEM, symptoms and potential recovery over the next few days. A week after your visit, you will have a follow up virtual Zoom visit to check in, and brief neuro exam with a licensed nurse. The follow up virtual visit usually takes about 20-35 minutes. You can also elect to complete an OPTIONAL monthly THRIVE survey. We plan to follow a small group of participants over time at 1 year for additional testing/sample collection.
About MAESTRO
We intend to probe the phenomenon of incomplete recovery by conducting observational, prospective research on 300 participants in 5 groups with 60 participants in each group. These include: Healthy Volunteers, Acute Lyme (< 4 wks), Chronic Lyme (> 1 yr), Long COVID (> 1 yr), and Suspected Lyme.
In order to get to the answers, the MAESTRO team will study samples taken from blood, saliva, and urine, as well as optional testing of sweat, throat swabs and/or vaginal/menstrual samples for detailed antibody quantification and metagenomics. Specifically, we are looking at immune responses to infection in different areas of the body like the blood and saliva, and we also want to see if we can identify genetic material of pathogens in various body fluids. We are leaving no stone unturned.
We will be testing eye movement, in addition to cognitive function testing and a hypermobility assessment, as the bacteria that causes Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) and the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) can both invade the brain and nerves. Patients also frequently report debilitating neurological symptoms.
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.
Click here for an informational video hosted by our Principal Investigator, Dr. Michal Caspi Tal, PhD
MAESTRO Guiding Questions
The goal of this study is to answer the questions: Why do some people bounce back from a mild infection while others go on to endure prolonged suffering?”
A main question we will be trying to answer is who is and is not likely to develop chronic symptoms to help clinicians better treat these groups and personalize care.
MAESTRO Sample Collection
During the in-person visit, samples will be taken from blood, saliva, and urine, as well as optional testing of sweat, throat swabs and/or vaginal/menstrual samples for detailed antibody quantification and metagenomics.
Biological specimen sampling is paired with eye tracking, cognitive testing, and a hypermobility assessment to explore:
Detection of disease state differing from controls
Unique biomarkers of the disease
If differences in eye movements exist across all patients with Lyme disease or Long COVID
Whether early detection of all or some patients could provide another potential clinical indicator of infection to assist in diagnosis
If we can identify subsets of patients who may continue to report symptoms despite standard antibiotic treatment after acute infection.
Address and directions for your in-person visit
Important Parking information
Upon arrival to MIT please go to Hayward Street Parking LOT at 33 Amherst St, Cambridge, MA 02142 and park in the open parking lot.
DO NOT Park in the underground garage, drive past the garage and park in the outdoor MIT Medical Lot next to the garage. Once parked take your ticket with you, as it will need to be validated by CCTR staff.
Please note: The side of the building closest to the MIT Medical parking lot is marked with a large blue "POLICE" sign, which is confusing. Rest assured that you will not be walking through a police station to get to us. The police station is located on the ground floor of our building with a separate entry.
Walking Into The Center
When you walk into the building, take the elevator or stairs to the 2nd floor. Take a left and walk to the door that says: "HealthLab: MIT Center for Clinical and Translational Research." This door is unlocked. Please come inside.
Immediately to your right, there is another door that leads directly to our clinic (Room #E25-201). Please ring the black doorbell and we will let you in.
Public Transportation
MBTA Red Line: The nearest subway stop to MIT is "Kendall/MIT" on the MBTA Red Line, which is right next to E25 (the building where CCTR is located).
MBTA Bus: The #1 bus, Harvard/Dudley, stops at (Mass Ave @Albany Street, 77 or 84 Mass Ave). The CT2 bus stops at Vassar Street @Mass Ave. The #64 bus stops at Broadway @Galileo Way
Day Of In Person Visit Reminders For Participants
Bring any corrective glasses to the visit. If you normally wear corrective glasses or lenses to do computer work, we DO recommend bringing them to your visit.
Wear comfortable shoes. While you will be seated for a lot of the visit, there are some tests that will require you to stand and walk to different rooms. We want to be sure you are comfortable and safe.
Masks. The CCTR is a high ventilation space and all research staff will be wearing masks. However, please note that you will be asked to remove the mask for certain things like providing a saliva sample or getting your temperature taken.
Stay hydrated. Your blood draw will be done at the tail end of your visit. Please drink plenty of water prior to and during your visit.
If you've had any issues getting your blood drawn in the past (e.g. hard stick, get dizzy), please make sure you have let our team know.
Wear a t-shirt or tank top underneath your clothing. Mostly for your comfort, but we will be taking your blood pressure and drawing blood from your arm. If you are wearing something bulky like a sweatshirt we may ask you to remove it so we can access your arm.
Earrings and Hair: Please note that for the WAVi test, we will need you to remove any earrings in the ear lobes. So, we recommend not wearing any valuable jewelry. Additionally, some hairstyles and very thick hair can interfere with the proper fit of the WAVi headset and our ability to pick up the electrical signals. We will try our best to get the data but our priority is your comfort.
MAESTRO Outreach Flyers
Read About Our Latest Agreement With RightEye to Research Ocular Biomarker ‘Signature’ for Lyme Disease