Lyme diagnostic assays can either be “Indirect tests”, which detect antibodies against
Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacterial spirochete that is the causative agent of Lyme disease) in blood or cerebral spinal fluid or “Direct tests”, which detect
B. burgdorferi protein or DNA in blood, cerebral spinal fluid, or urine. GLA has been working on developing both types of tests using cutting edge technology. Today we are announcing the development of the most advanced diagnostic test for Lyme disease. GLA has been working for several years with
Dr. Benjamin Luft (pictured), renowned Stony Brook University infectious disease and Lyme disease researcher, on a new ground-breaking indirect test. “It had been an honor for GLA to work with, provide counsel to, and financially support Dr. Luft in his pursuit of a reliable diagnostic blood test for Lyme disease. His vast experience with and knowledge of Lyme disease, institutional and governmental support, and long time caring for the victims of this dreadful disease made him a special partner for GLA,” said GLA Chairman Robert Kobre. Dr. Luft has been using the most advanced and accurate approach to date in order to achieve a high degree of specificity & sensitivity for the detection of anti-
Borrelia antibodies in humans. Most tests on the market or in research labs use a very limited number of proteins that are specific to the Lyme bacteria, and expose these proteins to patient’s blood in order to see if the patient’s antibodies will recognize them. The test developed by Dr. Luft and Stony Brook and housed by Bbiotics, uses over 30 proteins chosen through unbiased whole genome analysis of multiple bacterial species to be uniquely specific to
B. burgdorferi. The test was further developed to ensure that it can be run on most commercial platforms. This new diagnostic assay has undergone significant testing using samples provided by reliable government, hospital and academic sources. The result is a highly specific test, as good as the existing two-tier test, but with a sensitivity level that significantly exceeds currently available commercial tests and published experimental tests. Along with initial funding from the CDC, GLA is the only Lyme & tick-borne disease not-for-profit involved in the project and we have proudly supported its development, and the path to commercialization.
