Researchers Develop mRNA-based Lyme Disease Vaccine

January 12, 2022 by Alexa Hornbeck
Researchers Develop mRNA-based Lyme Disease Vaccine

Yale researchers recently developed an mRNA-based Lyme disease vaccine capable of targeting antigens in tick saliva to prevent their ability to transmit pathogens. 

According to the CDC, nearly half a million people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Lyme Disease every year. The ailment is most commonly transmitted to humans by ticks.

The vaccine developed by Yale researchers is unique in that instead of targeting the pathogen, it targets the vector to try to stop the transmission. This means when a tick bites, the mRNA is designed to recognize the protein and trigger an immune response at the bite site that should cause the tick to fall off the skin quickly. The research was published in the journal of Science Translational Medicine, and so far the vaccine has only been tested in guinea pigs and not humans.

Alexa can be reached at [email protected]

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