Dear friends,
When the Lyme Disease Research Foundation embarked on the SLICE clinical research program (Study of Lyme disease Immunology and Clinical Events) in 2007, pioneering collaborations and trailblazing research breakthroughs were envisioned. We are delivering on that vision with important insights into the pathophysiology of Lyme disease.
Our newest publication, "Serum Inflammatory Mediators as Markers of Human Lyme Disease Activity", has just been published in the medical journal, PLOS ONE, with an accompanying press release from Johns Hopkins University. (see links below)
This is the first publication from a groundbreaking collaboration between the research teams of Dr. John Aucott (MD), Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Founder and President of the Lyme Disease Research Foundation, Dr. Mark Soloski (PhD), Professor of Medicine, Pathology, Molecular Biology & Genetics and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Dr. William Robinson (MD, PhD), Associate Professor Division of Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine.
This leading-edge research identifies human inflammatory responses to Lyme disease including relevant immune signatures and potential biomarkers. The research establishes evidence of persistent post-antibiotic immunologic mechanisms and inflammation. The investigation also validates the variability in human immune responses to Lyme disease, with severity and progression differing from individual to individual. The study shows the patterns of serum inflammatory mediators (cytokine/chemokine signaling signatures) before and after antibiotic treatment that are foundational to understanding which patients recover and which continue with prolonged post-antibiotic treatment illness. Results confirm that not all patients react to infection with the same immune response, putting some at risk of ongoing inflammation and poor outcomes. This research lays the foundation for determining which components of variability in the Lyme disease immune signature are most predictive of disease progression or resolution.
CDC acknowledges 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease in the US yearly and research indicates approximately 10-20% of patients treated for early Lyme disease develop a chronic syndrome known as post-treatment Lyme disease. A differentiated Lyme disease immune signature is vitally important for improving diagnostics and the measurement of disease progression in this increasingly prevalent, rapidly escalating infectious disease.
The Lyme Disease Research Foundation was founded in 2007 with the scientific mission of conducting translational clinical research to discover biomarkers to improve the diagnosis and therapeutic management of patients with all stages of Lyme disease. Our ongoing SLICE Studies, the first prospective, controlled studies on early Lyme disease in the US, have produced a 'gold standard' biorepository of well-characterized blood and tissue samples. This valuable research resource enables us to collaborate with leading academic research scientists and centers to progress the Lyme disease research field. Pivotal research emerging from our collaborations, including today's publication, advances the understanding of disease mechanisms important to improving diagnostics, treatments and outcomes for patients.
We thank our collaborators and financial supporters for their efforts, dedication and funding, without which this crucial progress would not be possible.
We are grateful for your continued interest and support.
Best regards,
Nancy Dougherty
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/immune_system_research_may_help_doctors_predict_who_gets_long_term_complications_from_lyme_disease
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