Ticking off Lyme disease: OspA mRNA vaccine halts infection in mouse model

Lyme disease, a condition caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato and transmitted to humans via ticks, affects approximately 676,000 individuals annually in the United States and Western Europe.1 Currently, there is no approved Lyme vaccine available for human use. A promising study by Tahir et al., published in Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids, investigated the efficacy of mRNA and subunit vaccines targeting Lyme disease.2 This research demonstrated complete protection from infection in a tick-fed mouse model using an outer surface protein A (OspA) mRNA vaccine. Although mRNA vaccines have shown success against viral pathogens, their clinical application against bacterial diseases has been limited.3 Thus, this study represents an important step toward developing an effective mRNA vaccine against Lyme disease.. Authors: He, Wei [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]; Rasley, Amy [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]; Fischer, Nicholas O. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)]; Kubicek-Sutherland, Jessica Z. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)]; Stromberg, Zachary R. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000211371128). DOE Contract: AC05-76RL01830; AC52-07NA27344