Johns Hopkins Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute

Establish the Johns Hopkins Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute

The Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology (MMI) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will host the Institute, where premier public health researchers can collaborate with medical school colleagues as well as national and international organizations such as the Global Lyme Alliance. Arturo Casadevall, chair of MMI, envisions the Institute as both a research hub and a critical training ground for the next generation of young scholars.

Over the past year and a half, we’ve made exciting progress toward establishing the Institute. Thanks to a small (but growing!) group of researchers, advocates, and philanthropists, we are on the verge of recruiting the inaugural director, funding a tick insectary (or “tickery”) and launching an annual symposium to bring the broader Lyme and tickborne illness communities together to further our work.

MMI's Malaria Research Institute has significantly reduced the burden of malaria over the past ten years. Much of this success has come from the study of mosquitoes and a deeper understanding of the populations and policies that can influence change. Dr. Casadevall’s concept is to pattern Lyme research after malaria research's success at Hopkins, which benefited from an insectary to study mosquito biology and has developed innovative vaccine, treatment, and control options, such as targeting the mosquito's sense of smell.

The Lyme Institute will model this approach, including using a tickery to study tick biology, researching the most promising vaccine and treatment solutions, examining the economic impact of Lyme, and developing policy recommendations to enhance prevention measures. This comprehensive approach, described by Hopkins as the power of public health, is lacking in most institutions focused on Lyme and tick disease research.

We believe that this broader positioning will actually help quiet the controversies that have surrounded the very existence of tickborne diseases, particularly Chronic Lyme, in recent years. We are also confident that the Bloomberg School’s proven track record with malaria, smallpox, HIV, and other infectious diseases creates a solid blueprint for our efforts to combat tickborne illnesses.

Developing new therapies, training new researchers, engaging policymakers with data-driven recommendations, and discovering a viable vaccine for Lyme disease will be impossible without philanthropy.

Estimated costs for the Institute:

Total costs: $35 million to fully establish the Institute, build the tickery, expand the complement of research facilities, and hire the scientists and staff needed to drive research across all disciplines.

UPDATE April 2021: $3.1 million has been secured toward our initial goal of $10 million for startup costs, allowing us to launch an international search for the inaugural director. Once the director is in place, we have the potential to secure another $5 million.

Recent federal legislation, known as the TICK Act, will provide close to $150 million for Lyme and tickborne illness research. Given our track record for securing government funding (JHU receives more government grants than any other academic institution), we are uniquely positioned to become a center of excellence with both private and government funding.

We’ve reached a tipping point toward vanquishing this challenging disease. Johns Hopkins has a long history of bringing together philanthropists, federal funding agencies, renowned researchers, and world-class facilities to solve the world's most urgent health problems. We can do the same with the Lyme disease and tickborne illness and invite you to join us in our efforts. 

Please consider a gift to help us establish and launch the Johns Hopkins Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute. Funding will support these important components:

• Translational research collaborators in the School of Medicine
• Recruitment and support of new researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students in the vector sciences
• Upgraded laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment
• The world’s first tick insectary, specially constructed for observing and studying different species of ticks
• Annual summit for global Lyme disease and tickborne illnesses research
• Core operating funds

For more information, contact:
Heath Elliott, Associate Dean for Development
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
410-955-5194

Highlights from the inaugural event

FULL SYMPOSIUM

Johns Hopkins is already home to some of the world’s foremost experts in Lyme and infectious disease research:

John Aucott, MD, chair of the federal Tickborne Disease Working Group, also recently led an interdisciplinary CDC committee that framed the next steps for Lyme research and treatment. John is an associate professor of medicine and director of the Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Clinical Research Center. The center operates a patient blood repository, funded by the Alex Cohen Foundation, which is the main provider of blood samples for Lyme research worldwide. John has personally helped countless individuals who suffer from tickborne illnesses to identify and address their unique circumstances and ultimately to regain their health. 

Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and Chair, MMI, serves as the Institute's acting director. He studies how microbes cause disease and how hosts protect against microbes.

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