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2018 Annual Scientific Conference: Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases: Turning the Corner Through Research

January 7, 2019

The Lyme Disease Association held its 19th annual scientific conference, Lyme & Tick-Borne Diseases: Turning the Corner Through Research, on October 27 & 28, 2018 in Providence, RI at the landmark Marriott Providence Downtown hotel. Once again, this educational conference was held jointly by Columbia University and the LDA.

This conference was designed for medical & health professionals & researchers, but it was also open for registration to the general public. Adults only. Scholarships for conference/transportation were made available for medical students, residents, post-doctoral candidates, fellows, veterinarians with equivalent status to the above, and nurse practitioner candidates.

Topics of the conference were: phase 1 of a post-mortem study on Borrelia & the brain, new treatments for Borrelia persisters, biomarkers of Lyme, metabolomic features of chronic illness, Lyme research updates, B cell responses in Lyme, Lyme pathogenesis, small fiber peripheral neuropathy, Borrelia immune evasion and persistence, alpha-gal meat allergy, serologic diagnosis of TBD, invasive longhorn tick in the US, genetic modifications of ticks, genetically modified mice, Babesia treatments, Powassan, cancer research & the diagnosis and treatment of TBD; Borrelia miyamotoi, prevention strategies and vaccine development; Bartonella; other tick-borne diseases, and concurrent TBD case report & literature review.

The conference lectures included:

Robert Naviaux, MD, PhD, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Metabolomic Features of Chronic Illness – Lessons from Gulf War Illness and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; Claudia Molins, PhD, CDC, Use of Metabolic Profiles as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers of Lyme Disease; John Aucott, MD, Johns Hopkins University, Updates on Research in Lyme Disease; Rafal Tokarz, PhD, Columbia, Novel Approaches to Serologic Diagnosis of TBD; William Robinson, MD, PhD, Stanford University, Protective and Pathogenic B Cell Responses in Lyme Disease; Neil Spector, MD, Duke University, Applying the Lessons From Cancer Research to the Diagnosis and Treatment of TBD;Jon Skare, PhD, Texas A&M University, Pathogenesis-related features of Borrelia burgdorferi; Utpal Pal, PhD, University of Maryland, Immune Evasion of Lyme Disease Agents; James Occi, PhD (candidate), Rutgers University, The Discovery of the “Asian long-horned tick,” Haemaphysalis longicornis, in New Jersey: A Combination of Perserverance, Luck and the Joy of Tick Collecting.”

Joanna Buchthal, PhD (candidate), MIT, Genetically Modified Mice; Thomas Platts-Mills, PhD, FRS, UVA School of Medicine, Sensitization to Alpha-gal as a Consequence of Lone Star Tick Bite; Beatrice Szantyr, MD, FAAP, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Lyme Disease – An Ounce of Prevention: Survey of the Evidence for Prevention Strategies in Lyme Disease; Kim Lewis, PhD, Northeastern University, Developing Therapies for Treating Lyme Disease; Choukri Ben Mamoun, PhD, Yale University, Targeting the Achilles Heel of Babesia Parasites’ Mode of Survival Within Human Red Blood Cells; Anne Oaklander, MD, PhD, Harvard University, Small-Fiber Peripheral Neuropathy: A Pathway for Some Patients.

Monika Gulia-Nuss, PhD, University of Nevada, Generating Transgenic Ticks for Ticks and Tick-borne Disease Management; Shannon Delaney, MD, Columbia University, Borrelia Miyamotoi Exposure in a Clinical Population; Kavin Patel, MD & Rebecca Reece, MD, Brown University, First Confirmed Case of Powassan Neuroinvasive Disease in Rhode Island; Elizabeth Maloney, MD (Conference Planning Committee) President, Partnership for Tick-Borne Diseases Education, Concurrent Tick-borne Illnesses: A Case Report and Review of the Literature; Brian Fallon, MD, MPH (Conference Director), Columbia University, Borrelia and the Brain Phase 1 of a Post-Mortem Study, Jaroslav Flegr, National Institute of Mental Health, Czechia, The Effect of Pet-Transmitted Diseases on the Mental and Physical Health of the General Population.

Click here for Agenda

Click here for Faculty Biographies

Click here for Conference Flyer

Click here for 2018 Conference Photos

Click below for Pre-Conference Video