Scientific Advisory Board

Professor, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University

The laboratory of Dr. Belisle has focused on the characterization of the physiology of bacterial pathogens (in particular Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium leprae and Francisella tularensis) and how products of these bacteria interact with the hosts. These research activities have included the purification and characterization of bacterial proteins, lipids, and glycolconjugates; discovery of diagnostic and vaccine antigens; and the definition of specific molecular interactions involving the innate immune response.

Professor of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Grand Forks, ND

Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University of California, San Francisco; Director of the UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center (VDDC); Associate Director, UCSF Clinical Microbiology Laboratory

Dr. Chiu is an expert in development and implementation of advanced genomic technologies, microarrays and next-generation sequencing – for pathogen discovery and clinical assay validation in the microbiology laboratory. He holds over 50 patents and peer-reviewed publications on these topics.

Professor, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland

Dr. Pal is an expert on pathogenic spirochete biology, with several research interests related to Borrelia and Leptospira species. He identifies virulence factors in Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, and deciphers their roles in promoting transmission between the tick vector and mammalian hosts. He also studies vector-host interactions that allow bacterial persistence in the tick, which has a complex life cycle and an immunological response to the pathogen. An additional area of interest is the identification of bacterial surface proteins that are involved in triggering Lyme arthritis and the induction of inflammation.

Professor, Chair-Institutional Biosafety Committee, Course Director-Infectious Disease Block, The University of Toledo

Dr. Wooten’s laboratory is interested in the host/pathogen interactions that lead to the development of two different infectious diseases: Lyme disease and melioidosis.

Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D. is a Professor in the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

Dr. Marconi earned his Ph.D. at the University of Montana and conducted his post-doctoral training at The Roche Institute of Molecular Biology and the National Institutes of Health-Rocky Mountain Laboratories. Dr. Marconi is well recognized for his diverse research accomplishments and has studied pathogenic spirochetes for over 25 years. He has published over 100 peer reviewed articles and has lectured worldwide. A central research focus of the Marconi lab is the development of vaccines for tick-borne diseases for both human and veterinary applications.

Chief, Clinical Studies Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH

Dr. Marques’ main areas of research include: evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of patients with Lyme disease to assess clinical outcomes; development of new diagnostic tests and identification biomarkers for Lyme disease; investigation of the immune response to B. burgdorferi infection; understand the mechanisms underlying post-treatment Lyme disease symptoms; and search for the cause of STARI.

Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology

Dr. Arnaboldi’s research is focused on the development of improved diagnostic assays for early Lyme disease. This includes improving current serological assays, as well as investigating new approaches such as cellular based assays that may be able to distinguish current from prior infection, and could serve as a test of cure.

Research Assistant Professor, Molecular Biology and Microbiology Tufts University 

Head of German National Reference Centre for Borreliae, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL)

Fingerle´s main areas of interest include Borrelia vector-pathogen interaction, epidemiology and diagnostics including development of serological tests, molecular-biological detection and differentiation and cultivation methods. He is working on tick borne diseases for over 30 years and has published more than 200 peer reviewed articles and over 20 book chapters on tick-borne diseases.

Dr. Armin Alaedini is an internationally recognized expert in Lyme disease research, bringing over 20 years of experience to Global Lyme Alliance (GLA). Before becoming the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at GLA, Dr. Alaedini played a crucial role on the organization's Research Advisory Committee and served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Alaedini has an extensive background as a principal investigator and senior manager in both academia and industry. His leadership experience includes overseeing large research teams, managing operational budgets, developing research strategies, and contributing to clinical trials. Dr. Alaedini is also deeply committed to mentoring young scientists, fostering the next generation of researchers in the field of Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

With his wealth of experience and dedication to advancing scientific knowledge, Dr. Alaedini's leadership will continue to propel GLA's research initiatives forward. Under his guidance, GLA is committed to advancing scientific initiatives to combat Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, driving innovation and hope in the fight against these debilitating diseases.

Dr. DeAngelis joined the Global Lyme Alliance (GLA) in 2022. As Director of Research, she manages the research grant program and communicates the significance of scientific discoveries made by our funded investigators to the broader GLA community. She also works with the Chief Scientific Officer, Dr, Armin Alaedini, and the Scientific Advisory Board to advance the development of reliable diagnostics and treatments for Lyme Disease.

Dr. DeAngelis comes to GLA with a background in bacterial research. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Rocky Mountain Laboratories training with Dr. Frank Gherardini, where she studied antibiotic sensitivity in the Lyme bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. Dr. DeAngelis received her Ph.D. in Medical Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences under the mentorship of Dr. Jyl Matson where her research focused on cholera. She holds a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University in Mathematics and Pre-Professional Zoology.

Cara lives in Connecticut with her two cats, Osiris and Dewey, and enjoys running and reading in her free time.