Tulane University researchers discovered that medications known as FGFR inhibitors might help cure Lyme disease’s long-term neurological effects.
Fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors, a kind of medicine previously explored in cancer, appear to be effective in lowering inflammation and cell death in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected brain and nerve tissue samples.
Tulane University researchers have discovered a potential new strategy for treating persistent neurological symptoms linked to Lyme disease, giving patients who are suffering from the long-term repercussions of the bacterial infection even after receiving antibiotic therapy hope. Their findings were reported in Frontiers in Immunology.
Lyme disease, caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi and spread via tick bites, can produce a variety of symptoms, including those affecting the central and peripheral neurological systems.
While medications may typically eradicate the infection, a portion of people continue to have symptoms such as memory loss, exhaustion, and pain—a condition known as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
Breakthrough in Treatment
Principal investigator Geetha Parthasarathy, PhD, an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at Tulane National Primate Research Center, discovered that fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors, a type of drug previously studied in cancer, can significantly reduce inflammation and cell death in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected brain and nerve tissue. This study shows that targeting FGFR pathways might be a promising new therapeutic method for treating persistent neuroinflammation in individuals with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome.
“Our findings open the door to new research approaches that can help us support patients suffering from the lasting effects of Lyme disease,” Parthasarathy stated in a press release. “By focusing on the underlying inflammation that contributes to these symptoms, we hope to develop treatments that can improve the quality of life for those affected by this debilitating condition.”
Implications of Future Treatment
The researchers used live or inactivated Borrelia burgdorferi to treat nerve tissue before administering FGFR inhibitors. The study’s findings demonstrated a substantial reduction in both inflammatory markers and cell death.
While further research is needed to convert these findings into therapeutic therapies, the study is a significant step toward better understanding and perhaps controlling the complicated aftermath of Lyme illness.
“Fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors mitigate the neuropathogenicity of Borrelia burgdorferi or its remnants ex vivo” by Geetha Parthasarathy, published in Frontiers in Immunology on March 19, 2024.
The Bay Area Lyme Foundation financed this project, which was supported by a Tulane National Primate Research Center base grant from the National Institutes of Health (P51 OD011104).
