Applying an mRNA-lipid nanoparticle platform to develop vaccine against Lyme disease
Sep. 29, 2023
Lyme disease, caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by Ixodes ticks, is expanding in many countries, posing a significant global health concern. The outer surface protein A (OspA) of B. burgdorferi is currently the most promising target for vaccine development, primarily because of its broad conservation among different bacterial strains that cause the disease. In a recent publication, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and collaborators proposed using a lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated nucleoside-modified mRNA (mRNA-LNP) platform, similar to that of clinical vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, to develop a vaccine against Lyme disease.