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NIH Grant Expands Tick-Borne Diseases Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a four-year grant in theTick Borne Diseases Research amount of $2.1 million to Washington State University so that researchers there may further develop methods for the prevention of Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, another common tick-borne coinfection.

WSU researchers will build on their initial investigation which involved the identification of two novel protein players that are key to the tick’s immune pathway and their survival against these two common tick-borne pathogens. This preliminary study resulted in a better understanding of how to influence a tick’s immunity when infected with these two tick-borne diseases, with the goal of ultimately limiting the arthropod’s ability to transmit the bacteria to humans.

The additional grant will allow WSU researchers to continue studying these proteins including how they interact and possibly identifying other mechanisms that may play a role.

Read more on the WSU website.

Read more about Lyme disease.

Read more about anaplasmosis.