Our longitudinal clinical study explores the immunology and neurology of acute and chronic Lyme disease and Long COVID. This includes comprehensive, non-invasive immunological, neurological, neurocognitive, and skin integrity/hypermobility testing, and multiple biological sample collections to look for biomarkers of disease and pathogen persistence.

Our “IgE project” explores whether someone can become allergic to a pathogen or a persisting piece of a pathogen, and whether this may be occurring in chronic Lyme disease. This research explores mast cell activation and pathological allergy in mouse models of chronic Lyme disease.

We study how Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease), can block critical immune checkpoints and evade the immune system, impacting the efficacy of antibiotics to clear infection. We’ve also found a novel protein that can inhibit Borrelia growth and inhibit proliferation of infection. We call these our “P66” and “SCGB1D2” research projects.

Developing novel immune-based predictive diagnostics for infection-associated chronic illnesses (called “FLIP”) to predict who develops chronic illness after infection and who recovers.

Exploring how biological sex and sex hormones impact chronic illness trajectories and normal and pathological immune responses to infection and other immune triggers

Comprehensive antibody profiling and immune phenotyping in chronic Lyme disease and similar chronic illnesses to inform the identification of therapeutic targets and the development of new immune-based therapeutics.

Project Connect encompasses research projects studying the overlaps; shared pathophysiology, triggers and risk factors; and similarities and differences across co-occuring chronic illnesses including chronic Lyme, Long Covid, ME/CFS and more. It includes deep dives into less studied pathologies and the prevalence of comorbidities.

Combining experimental data from murine models of Borrelia burgdorferi infection with population-level epidemiologic data in humans, this research aims to uncover mechanisms by which persistent infection may influence reproductive health and outcomes.