# A novel Lyme disease vaccine

> **NIH NIH R01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $648,096

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
A novel vaccine for Lyme disease
 Acquired resistance to Ixodes scapularis, commonly known as “tick resistance”,
can prevent transmission of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent. We have
shown that tick resistance can be generated in guinea pigs (1) repeatedly exposed to I.
scapularis, (2) immunized with I. scapularis saliva, or (3) immunized with a lipid
nanoparticle containing mRNAs encoding 19 saliva proteins (19ISP). In addition,
salivary protein 14 (Salp14), a component of 19ISP, elicits partial tick resistance.
 The goal of this proposal is to identify the specific proteins in I. scapularis
saliva that elicit tick resistance and demonstrate that vaccination with these
proteins can prevent B. burgdorferi infection. We will delineate the importance of
Salp14 and additional saliva proteins in tick resistance, determine the host responses
that are associated with tick resistance, and examine whether vaccination with saliva
proteins or mRNAs encoding each saliva protein can prevent B. burgdorferi infection.
These studies will lead to new knowledge to aid in the development of a novel vaccine
which may prevent Lyme disease and, possibly, other tick-borne infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10840840
- **Project number:** 5R01AI165499-03
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Joseph Edgar Craft
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $648,096
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-06-07 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10840840

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10840840, A novel Lyme disease vaccine (5R01AI165499-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10840840. Licensed CC0.

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