The study is conducted across 20 New England sites, including Northwestern University, MaineHealth, and Massachusetts General Hospital, with Martha’s Vineyard Hospital contributing and planning a smaller alpha-gal syndrome study.

A five-year, coordinated study led by Tufts University aims to enroll 1,200 or more Lyme disease patients to uncover why some individuals experience persistent symptoms after treatment.

Researchers plan to improve diagnostics and lay groundwork for future cures by examining differences between quick recoveries and chronic symptoms, with attention to possible co-infections and inflammatory markers.

Martha’s Vineyard and other New England sites were chosen due to high Lyme disease rates linked to deer ticks, with recruitment focused on patients presenting the characteristic rash.

Participants will provide skin, blood, urine, and stool samples at multiple milestones (one month post-diagnosis, then three months, six months, and a year and a half) to identify markers of lingering illness.

Current data show roughly 17% of participants have severe post-treatment symptoms and about 25% report mild symptoms at six months, as researchers explore connections to persistent infection, genetics, autoimmunity, and other factors.

The Vineyard’s prominence in tick-related research, including prior Lyme vaccine trials and tick-control studies, positions it as a leading focal point for advancing Lyme disease understanding.