Global Lyme Alliance (GLA), the leading 501 (c)(3) dedicated to conquering Lyme and other tick-borne diseases through innovative research, awareness, and empowering the patient voice proudly announces new funding to support critical research initiatives.
In 2025, GLA continues to drive scientific breakthroughs, empowering researchers to tackle complex challenges in Lyme disease and develop actionable solutions. The latest funding highlights GLA’s commitment to addressing gaps in biobanking, advancing pediatric Lyme disease research, and investigating chronic conditions in Lyme disease.
GLA Chief Scientific Officer Armin Alaedini, PhD, remarked: “Biobanking is a critical yet often overlooked resource in Lyme disease research. By funding the creation of comprehensive biorepositories, we aim to provide researchers with the tools they need to make meaningful strides in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease.”
1. The European Lyme Biorepository: Co-led by Volker Fingerle, MD, (pictured right) Head of German National
2. POTS and Lyme Disease: Led by Brit Adler, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University.
1. Pedi Lyme Net: under the leadership of Lise Nigrovic, MD, MPH, Senior Pediatric Emergency Physician at Boston Children’s Hospital and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Pedi Lyme Net is a pediatric emergency department Lyme disease network composed of 8 different emergency departments. It includes the world’s only pediatric Lyme Disease Biobank with over 6,000 biosamples collected since 2015. These samples have so far supported 21 impactful studies and fostered 11 research collaborations, advancing the understanding of pediatric Lyme disease diagnosis and management.
2. Patient Genetics: Klemen Strle, PhD, an Assistant Professor at Tufts University, is studying immune responses and patient genetics to uncover why some patients have lingering Lyme disease symptoms.
3. Epigenetics: Tanja Petnicki-Ocwieja, PhD an Assistant Professor at Tufts University is examining how Lyme bacteria may cause epigenetic changes in bone marrow cells of mice. Inhibiting some of these changes may offer novel potential modes of treatment.
4. Persistence: Jenny Hyde, PhD an Associate Professor at Texas A&M University and Melissa Caimano, PhD, an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut, are investigating whether Lyme bacteria or their remnants in mice could contribute to chronic symptoms and evaluating which antibiotics are most effective in eliminating them.
5. Bartonellosis: Monica Embers, PhD, an Associate Professor at Tulane University and Annette Moter, MD, PhD a Principal Director at Charité-Berlin University Medicine are studying drug combinations to treat Bartonella when it lives inside and outside cells. While evidence for bartonellosis as a tick-borne disease in the U.S. is limited, it remains a concern as a potential co-infection in Lyme patients.
GLA’s research grants are rigorously evaluated by its Scientific Advisory Board, ensuring that only the most promising and innovative proposals with the highest anticipated impact are funded. As the global incidence of Lyme disease continues to rise, GLA remains at the forefront of advancing research, empowering patients, and fostering international collaborations to address this growing public health crisis.
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If you are interesting in supporting GLA's groundbreaking research, please contact GLA's Director of Development, Steve Pekock at Steve.Pekock@GLA.org
To make a donation online, donate here.