A preventative treatment for Lyme disease is likely to start clinical trials in humans this year, with researchers fundraising for the work to move the treatment closer to market.
Mark Klempner, a professor of medicine at University of Massachusetts Medical School, has been working for years to develop a drug treatment for preventing Lyme disease, identifying an antibody that could attack the bacteria in 2015.
Since then, researchers have engineered the antibody to last seven to eight months in the body — the duration of a typical peak risk season. Teams have also tested the antibody in animals to prove it is effective, and have finalized the manufacturing processes to make the antibody for clinical trials. The researchers are expected to soon begin discussions with the Food and Drug Administration for phase 1 clinical trials for safety within the calendar year.
