Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded Massachusetts General Hospital a $453,750 Project Grant effective July 13, 2026, through June 30, 2028, under the Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.855). This project focuses on identifying and characterizing specific Borrelia burgdorferi genes that influence bacterial dissemination in vertebrate hosts during Lyme disease infection. The research addresses a critical gap in understanding why certain strains of the Lyme disease spirochete disseminate more readily than others, potentially leading to severe systemic complications including neuroborreliosis, Lyme arthritis, and Lyme carditis. By screening candidate genetic loci encoded on plasmids within the pathogen's multipartite genome, the investigators will work to isolate individual genes causally associated with dissemination and establish fundamental understanding of microbial genetic determinants that drive progression from localized to severe, organ-specific disease.

The research will be conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital's Research Management Division in Boston, Massachusetts, leveraging the institution's established translational research infrastructure and expertise in infectious disease research. This project addresses a significant clinical need, as approximately 10 percent of Lyme disease patients develop prolonged post-treatment symptoms that can persist for months or years, with dissemination serving as a critical gateway to severe disease manifestations. The findings are anticipated to provide molecular insights that could inform future therapeutic interventions targeting bacterial dissemination mechanisms.