Scientists in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Wadsworth Center have made several important discoveries towards the development of a Lyme disease vaccine. Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection that afflicts thousands of New Yorkers each year. The disease is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, which proliferates in skin tissues at the site of a tick bite before spreading to other organs.
Dr. Nicholas Mantis, Chief, Laboratory of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, and his team elucidated the immunological mechanisms by which antibodies elicited by vaccination may prevent Borrelia burgdorferi from surviving in skin tissues. The Mantis laboratory developed novel tools to assess the impact of antibodies on the killing of B. burgdorferi and delineated specific targets on the surface of the bacteria that are universally conserved.
Finally, in collaboration with Moderna (Cambridge, MA) and Tufts University, Dr. Mantis and team report first results of mRNA-based Lyme disease vaccine studies in mice. That vaccine is now in human clinical trials.