Lyme Disease UK has awarded its first Innovation Award to support pioneering research into improved Lyme diagnostics. The project is based at the National Horizons Centre within the School of Health & Life Sciences and is led by PhD researcher Saba Niaz, with primary supervision from Dr Ojodomo Achadu and co-supervision from Professor John Young.
The aim is to develop a rapid, sensitive and portable point-of-care test that detects the infection directly, without relying on the body’s antibody response. The team is creating a novel dual-modality biosensor that combines fluorescence-based imaging and Raman spectroscopy on a simple origami paper platform (similar to a lateral flow test). It is also designed to incorporate additional biomarkers that could help distinguish active infection from past exposure, as well as Post-Treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD).
This work is still at an early laboratory stage, and a usable test remains some years away. Even so, the foundational science is genuinely promising, and updates will be shared as key milestones are reached.
Huge thanks go to fundraisers John Watling, Niall Brannigan, Sam Weber and Jason Wilder from Team Seasoar, who completed the remarkable 3,000-mile World’s Toughest Row – Atlantic 2024. Their efforts, together with the generosity of everyone who donated, have made this research possible.
You can read more about the project here:
https://lymediseaseuk.com/lduk-funds-new-lyme-diagnostics-research/