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A TOXIN WHICH MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANY OF SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH LYME DISEASE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED
16 November 2000 - Boston University
| A toxin which may be largely responsible for many of the symptoms associated with Lyme Disease has been identified by Boston University Medical Center researchers. |
A toxin which may be largely responsible for many of the symptoms associated with Lyme Disease has been identified by Boston University Medical Center researchers. Sam T. Donta, MD, Professor of Medicine and Director of the BUMC Lyme Disease Center, and his research team recently identified a substance produced by the Lyme Disease bacterium (B. burgdorferi), which appears to kill nervous system cells. "If we can learn precisely how the toxin works, we may be able to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of this debilitating disease, "says Donta. The research team does not completely understand how the toxin acts, but theorize that it may work similarly to the botulism, tetanus and cholera toxin. "Lyme Disease patients suffer from many symptoms, and if this toxin is at the root of those, it may be possible to make a vaccine or antitoxin, as is the case with botulism and tetanus," says Donta. It may be also possible to develop a better test for the disease using the newly identified toxin. "Antibodies to the toxin may appear in the blood, urine, or spinal fluid," notes Donta. Studies are already underway to identify the specific target of the toxin and its precise role in Lyme Disease. The research was conducted with the help of a grant from the Thaler Family and Pasiss Family Foundation.
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Boston University has a well-deserved reputation for excellence in research in a wide range of disciplines and a demonstrated commitment to fostering innovative interdisciplinary research. The Office of the Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Education supports the University in facilitating research at the both the student and faculty levels.Our mission is to enhance and encourage research at Boston University and to provide a climate conducive to maintaining the University at the cutting edge of research and scholarly activities. We work with the Boston University community to plan and coordinate interdisciplinary research and represent the University in research matters related to Inter-University consortia. To encourage new, innovative, and cross-disciplinary efforts, this office administers the Special Program for Research Initiation Grants (SPRInG). We showcase graduate research at Science & Technology Day. This annual event features nearly 200 research posters by graduate students from both the Medical and Charles River Campuses working in a wide range of disciplines. Our annual research magazine, Research at Boston University, informs a wide audience about a selection of our significant research findings and ongoing studies at Boston University. We also maintain a strong presence on the web through this site and through the Science Coalition’s website, which brings our research successes to the attention of Congress and other policy makers in the federal government. To assist Boston University researchers, this office oversees the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and coordinates with the Office of Sponsored Programs on the Charles River Campus , the research administration on the Medical Campus, the Office of Research Compliance, and the various graduate programs. For the development of commercially viable ideas, we administer the Provost's Innovation Fund and work closely with the Office of Technology Transfer. We also coordinate proposals where there are institutional limits to the number of proposals that may be submitted, cost sharing requirements, significant laboratory renovations, or other special circumstances. This office assists departments and centers to achieve a diverse faculty and graduate student body through our membership and activities with the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and through our affiliation with the Clare Boothe Luce program of the Henry Luce Foundation. |
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