Unmet Need: Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in temperate regions that can lead to persistent and life-altering symptoms including arthritis and neurological dysfunction. Even when caught and treated early, approximately 10-20% of patients have persistent symptoms lasting 6+ months known as posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). Currently, no strategy exists to identify individuals at risk for developing PTLDS.
Technical Details: Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have discovered a novel biomarker to identify patients at risk for developing post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). The chemokine CCL19 was found in a prospective clinical cohort to be persistently upregulated over time and independently associated with later development of PTLDS. Statistical analysis identified a CCL19 cutoff of >111.67 pg/ml one month after initial early treatment for Lyme in accurately predicting later PTLDS development. Use of CCL19 expression as a biomarker to predict PTLDS provides a novel opportunity for additional early intervention to reduce risk of PTLDS development.
Value Proposition:
· Novel biomarker CCL19 identifies risk of PTLDS development after early Lyme disease intervention
· Use of biomarker can inform additional treatment strategies in the acute stage of infection to prevent PTLDS
· Broad application to screen all acute Lyme infections
Looking for Partners to: Develop & commercialize the technology as a biomarker for patients in need of secondary antibiotic treatment course for Lyme disease.
Stage of Development: Biomarker identified in prospective clinical cohort
Data Availability: Ex vivo analysis from clinical cohort
Inventors: John Aucott, Mark Soloski
Patent Status: Granted: 10,481,165
Publication(s): Aucott JN, Soloski MJ, Rebman AW, Crowder LA, Lahey LJ, Wagner CA, Robinson WH, Bechtold KT. (2016). CCL19 as a chemokine risk factor for posttreatment lyme disease syndrome: a prospective clinical cohort study. Clin Vaccine Immunol. 23(9):757-766.
