In a recent exciting discovery, our collaborative research with Hanna Ollila's group has identified a protein in human sweat, SCGB1D2, that can protect against Lyme disease. This research was featured in MIT News and other press outlets. We found that this protein inhibits the growth of the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria that cause the illness.
Our study, published in Nature Communications, revealed that about one-third of the population carries a genetic variant of this protein that is associated with an increased susceptibility to Lyme disease. The protective version of SCGB1D2 is a secretoglobin, a type of protein found in secretions like sweat and saliva. In laboratory experiments and mouse models, the normal version of the SCGB1D2 protein was able to prevent infection with the Lyme-causing bacteria.
This discovery opens up a new and unexplored area of our body's defenses against Lyme disease. We are hopeful that this finding could lead to the development of new preventative strategies, such as a skin cream containing this protective protein, and potentially new treatments for those with antibiotic-refractory Lyme disease.
In the Press:

• MIT News: A protein found in human sweat may protect against Lyme disease

• Bay Area Lyme Foundation: New Study Demonstrates Protein May Provide Protection Against Lyme Disease

• Global Lyme Alliance: The Power of Perspiration: Protein Found in Sweat Inhibits Susceptibility to Lyme Disease

• Yahoo News: A protein in human sweat protects against Lyme disease, study finds

Relevant Publication:

• Strausz S, Abner E, ..Nasa Sinnott-Armstrong, Irving L. Weissman, Mark Daly, Tuomas Aivelo, Michal Caspi Tal*, Hanna M. Ollila*. SCGB1D2 inhibits growth of Borrelia burgdorferi and affects susceptibility to Lyme disease. Nature Communications. 2024