In this section, the Lyme Disease Association (LDA) brings to your attention news on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases’ science that is being published in peer-review, news from Lyme organizations on events they are providing, other Lyme-related sources, and news from government sources that might impact the general public or those whose lives have been affected by tick-borne diseases. The LDA attempts to bring you factual information from credible sources with its news items. If the item is an opinion piece, that is generally noted. See submenu of News to the right.
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mRNA-lipid nanoparticle Vaccine Against Lyme Proposed
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The Molecular Therapy Journal (Pine M., et al.) 08.01.2023, published “Development of an mRNA-lipid nanoparticle vaccine against Lyme disease.” In this study, scientists propose using a new method called “mRNA-LNP” to create a Lyme disease vaccine, similar to the successful COVID-19 vaccines. The vaccine would target a specific protein in the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi that causes Lyme disease, called OspA. This protein is found on the surface of B. burgdorferi and is essential for its survival in ticks. By targeting this bacterium, the vaccine aims to prevent the bacteria from infecting humans when bitten by ticks.
In 1998, there was an alum-adjuvanted recombinant OspA protein vaccine release called LYMErix™, that showed to decrease Lyme disease by 75% within a year, but the vaccine was removed from the market in 2002, just four years after its release. Since then, there has been no FDA-approved vaccine for Lyme disease, while cases continue to rise.