George Mason University receives more than $1.1 million to revolutionize Lyme disease testing

With tick bites on the rise, College of Science and College of Public Health collaborate to improve detection, diagnosis and treatment with urine testing

George Mason University researchers have received a grant of $1,176,645 in federal funding from the United States Department of the Army to revolutionize the detection and diagnosis of Lyme disease using urine tests. The College of Science and the College of Public Health aim to leverage the many advantages of urine testing over other methods and increase widespread adoption.

We have developed a urine test for Lyme disease that detects the bacteria (Borrelia species) that causes Lyme disease, making it a direct test to confirm infection shortly after a tick bite. This leads to earlier treatment when needed and could prevent the debilitating long-term effects of the disease, said Alessandra Luchini, professor of systems biology in the Faculty of Science and principal investigator at George Masons.

The current standard of care test for Lyme disease is an antibody blood test, which measures the immune system’s response to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease. Instead, Mason’s test detects molecules derived from the bacteria themselves, which have the advantage of specificity (accuracy) and early detection. Mason’s test matches exact amino acid sequences (the building blocks of bacterial molecules) found only in Borrelia and not in other organisms. For example, one of the proteins the Mason scientists studied is part of the Borrelia flagellum, which allows the bacterium to move around the body.

In Masons’ clinical research trials, urine tests had a true positive rate of 90% (sensitivity) and specificity close to 100% (true negative rate). The researchers will use pooled samples from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of acute Lyme patients from the Lyme Disease Biobank and banked samples from Johns Hopkins University, respectively, which are recognized leaders in clinical Lyme disease research.

Using her 15 years of research on Lyme disease (Borrelia) bacteria, Ashley Groshong, PhD, unit chief of the Bacterial Physiology and Metabolism Section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, collaborates in the project evaluating the suitability of diagnostic indicators based on bacterial physiology.

In addition, Mason’s study will pilot a collapsible urine collection cup sent to a lab by mail, making collection and diagnosis easier for more people through telehealth.

“A urine cup will provide a private, convenient and convenient way to collect the sample at home without compromising the accuracy of the laboratory test,” said Lance Liotta, Faculty of Science professor, co-director of the Masons Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine and study co-investigator. Shipped in a semi-dry state that will preserve the target proteins and again protect the specimen from degradation, this approach will improve the specificity that has been a weakness of previous testing approaches.”

Lyme disease is the most common animal-to-human disease in the United States with approximately 476,000 people diagnosed and treated each year and increasing. If not treated quickly and properly, bites can lead to prolonged symptoms (called post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome), such as concentration and memory problems, dizziness, fatigue, body aches, depression and difficulty sleeping.

This is an important collaboration to advance the diagnosis of Lyme disease. In my capacity as an epidemiologist, I am delighted to work with Drs. Luchini, Liotta and Espina, and Dr. Krall in her biostatistics capacity. This study will have a major impact on the timely diagnosis of Lyme, said Melissa J. Perry, dean of the College of Public Health and co-investigator of the study.

This three-year study will be conducted at the same Mason CAP/CLIA Clinical Proteomics Laboratory that implemented the innovative COVID saliva test. The laboratory is directed by Virginia Espina, who is a collaborator of the grant.

This work will be supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs through the Tick-Borne Disease Research Program, endorsed by the Department of Defense. The opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are the author’s own and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.

About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, DC, Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a comprehensive $1 billion campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.

About the Faculty of Sciences
Masons College of Science is a leader in scientific discovery and a creator of innovative solutions for the rapidly changing needs of today’s world. The university is proud to host a diverse population of over 4,200 students and researchers who serve as a magnet for all scientific minds. With new discoveries, our scientists continue to grow Masons’ portfolio of patents, licenses, partnerships and spin-off companies.

The university combines traditional science education with sought-after programs at all levels in a dozen departments to challenge and engage in disciplines such as personalized medicine, infectious disease, drug discovery, climate dynamics, environmental justice and conservation, materials science , astronomy, forensic science, computational science and applied mathematics. Learn more at science.gmu.edu.

About the College of Public Health
Masons College of Public Health, Virginia’s first College of Public Health, enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate students and 1,300 graduate students in its nationally recognized programs, including six bachelor’s degrees, eight master’s degrees, five doctoral degrees, and six certificate programs professionals Formed by the School of Nursing and the Departments of Global and Community Health, Health Administration and Policy, Nutrition and Food Studies and Social Work, the university also conducts transdisciplinary research that seeks to understand the many factors that influence health and public welfare. throughout life. With more than 500 partners, the university serves the community and engages its students through research, practice and clinical care.