Professor and Division Head of Burnett School Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, Dr. Mollie Jewett talks about a new rapid Lyme disease test.
Interview conducted by Ivanhoe Broadcast News in 2023.
Why did you get interested in studying Lyme disease?
Jewett: Actually I was driven to it more from a scientific perspective rather than a clinical perspective. I was really interested in this unusual bacteria that was just beginning to be studied when I was starting my postgraduate work and trying to figure out if we could use genetic tools, build genetic tools that we hadn’t used before to try to understand how this strange, unusual bacteria causes this strange unusual disease.
The strange unusual disease is crazy because it can have so many symptoms.
Jewett: That’s right, and different symptoms for different individuals. It’s what we call a multi-stage inflammatory disease. This means that it’s really the reaction of a person’s body to the presence of that infection, that’s what’s causing the disease. We all have different genetics, different responses, and different environmental exposures that we’ve lived through. Our bodies have the potential to actually respond very differently depending on who you are and what your makeup is.
I could be completely wrong on this, but it seems to me one tick’s bite is not another tick’s bite. One could come with 17 different bacteria and this one can come with two?
Jewett: Co-infections are really a newer significant problem that we’re recognizing. Yes, really the causative agent of Lyme disease is the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. However, the deer tick, the black-legged tick, and the zodiac scapularis tick, are all the names of the tick that’s transmitting this bacteria. That tick also transmits other things. New areas of research are beginning to look at how these different infections interact with each other, and that too could be different types of responses that a person has in terms of how they feel.
Is getting a diagnosis difficult?
Jewett: Yes. My lab is really interested and focused on working in the area of Lyme disease diagnosis. Right now, the current method for diagnosing Lyme disease, a Borrelia burgdorferi infection is quite complicated and requires very high expertise on the part of the physician. We’re trying to work to make that easier, more straightforward, and more clear so that a diagnosis is really clear and quick. That’s what we want. We want clear and quick, because the longer you don’t have a diagnosis, the more likely you are to have ongoing, increasing disease challenges.
Right now, is the test a blood test? How long does it take and why does it take so long?
Jewett: Right now it is based on a blood test. Your blood will be taken if you’re someone that thinks you’ve gotten exposed or has an infection. It has two steps. Right now the test is looking for your body’s response to that infection, so the production of antibodies. The first step is looking for the production of one specific antibody. If that is positive, then you move on to the second step. The second step consists of the doctors looking for lots of other antibody reactions, but there’s a grid that has to be in. It says, determines if you have 70 percent of the reactions and only one-third of the other kinds. It finds how long ago you think you might have been exposed, and that’s going to depend on how that analysis is interpreted.
How are you simplifying it?
Jewett: We’re simplifying it where it’s an objective number so that we have a test where we can capture those antibodies out of a patient, again using their serum that we would collect. Then the readout rather than an interpretation of which band it is. We’re also developing what we hope will be an in-the-doctor’s office small device. I collaborate with a colleague, Dr. Brian Kim in engineering, and he’s a device fabricator. He’s building a small handheld point-of-care device that can rapid and clear in its diagnosis.
Is it within minutes or?
Jewett: Our ultimate target would be within 15 minutes. Right now, it’s probably closer to 30 minutes or an hour to be able to do that, but still potentially while you wait.
How quickly do you think this will get out to adopt the device?
Jewett: We’re still in the early stages of our development, and we’re hoping we’re funded right now by the Global Lyme Alliance, which is a foundation that provides support both to patients with Lyme disease as well as support for research in the area of diagnostics. That’s been a huge boost for us in being able to push the research, but there will be a number of steps to get this to a final stage, but we’re really excited about the prospect.
I think it’s interesting that everything now is like a reflection of society. Everything is rapid, and still rapid now.
Jewett: That’s right. I think we’ve become a society of immediate gratification, and used to getting information very fast. Having to wait, of course, for a patient, a patient who feels uncomfortable, sick, and wants to understand what’s going on. The sooner, both for the patient’s emotional support and also for their bottom-line health and particularly for Lyme disease. The sooner you can know that you have Lyme disease, the more likely the treatment will be effective and reduce the risk of long-term side effects.
END OF INTERVIEW
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