A change in Lyme disease testing, early Lyme disease detection, and advancements in other medical applications related to the condition seem to be on the brink of a breakthrough. This is all thanks to ongoing research into the illness using a locally sourced biobank.
Since 2014, Dr. George Dempsey of East Hampton Family Medicine has been gathering urine and blood samples from East End Lyme patients. He then uses these samples at the Bay Area Lime Foundation’s Lyme Disease Biobank. Dr. Dempsey recently spoke on his study, which has reportedly discovered a marker capable of detecting Lyme disease earlier than ever before. This newfound marker can also show whether the illness has already been treated.
“If we can show two points in time together — the early detection of Lyme disease and then the resolution of the infection — it will be a game changer,” Dr. Dempsey explains. “We will have a new way to look at how antibodies behave in Lyme but also other diseases affecting the immune system.”
Currently, there is only one FDA-approved diagnostic test for Lyme disease which measures antibodies created to fight the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. However, in cases of Lyme disease that are transmitted through a tick bite, these antibodies are not detectable for several weeks. This has caused concern as the faster treatment begins, the better the chances are for beating this disease.
According to Dr. Dempsey, “When it’s early, at the stage of a rash, the antibodies have not developed yet. It’s a two-stage process. There’s the initial, primary response and there’s the secondary.” He adds, “The primary response is the body just going… ‘Something’s not right,’ and it’s basically kind of shooting in the dark but getting inflamed. Then it’s starting to characterize it — oh, look at this, now I’m going to make an antibody. And that takes a few weeks, so that is why the testing has not been helpful in the early stage.”
Dr. Dempsey also points out the value of knowing when the illness has been eliminated from the body. “By the time you treat it, the antibodies maybe have started to develop, so even though you treated it, the antibodies are there because they were hired, they were recruited,” the doctor states, as a way to describe why even after treatment people will test positive for Lyme.
At this time, the study seems promising, however, there is more information to dissect. Dr. Dempsey is hopeful that upcoming research will uncover further insight into whether people can develop Lyme disease and not get antibodies long-term. The research will also include whether or not a subgroup of individuals exists whose bodies do not develop the common antibody response. He says of the study, “That’s going to help answer that question, which nothing else has up to now.”
Since the full study has now been published, Dr. Dempsey has emphasized the importance of finding private funding, getting through the red tape, and moving forward with additional research and clear data collection for the biobank.
Despite how much funding is made available, volunteers are always needed. The Marshfield Clinic in Minnesota has reportedly come on board, which means only two sites are currently collecting vital samples. Dr. Dempsey is actively looking for individuals to share samples and take part in this exceptionally beneficial work.
