CTN Tick-borne Disease Pilot Treatment Study Award

Submission Time has Ended. Past submission took place January 15 to April 15, 2023 and welcomed clinicians, researchers, and investigators from academic institutions to submit proposals. Stay tuned for our next grant submission period. 

The CTN’s goal is to support the conduct of small-scale human treatment studies related to the treatment of Lyme and other tick-related diseases. These small pilot studies are conducted to determine whether future larger investigations are warranted. Pilot studies often assess safety and feasibility, are exploratory in nature, and are not meant to answer the same questions as larger randomized control trials.

The CTN Study Review Committee will review submissions of the current period for consideration for further development into a pilot study; each pilot study will be conducted at one of the CTN investigation sites. The CTN has funding to support 1-2 small pilot studies each year.

Current CTN network affiliates include investigators from Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore Maryland, and Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C. The CTN Study Review Committee includes the core CTN members, clinical research experts, and academic and community clinicians. Results of the CTN pilot studies – if favorable – will lead to consideration for larger Randomized Controlled Trials.

We thank all clinicians and investigators in advance for participation in this process, as your proposal may lead to a transformative study.

Past Selections:

2021 Selected Studies (Year 1):

·       Tetracycline treatment tolerability trial for PTLD (PI: Aucott, Johns Hopkins)

·       Vagus nerve stimulation for persistent Lyme fatigue (PIs: Fallon/Kuvaldina, Columbia)

2022 Selected Studies (Year 2):

·       Transcranial direct current stimulation and cognitive retraining for Lyme brain fog (PI: Gorlyn, Columbia/NYSPI) 

·       Early neurodevelopmental outcomes of exposure to Lyme disease in pregnancy – an observational study of treatment  response (PI: Mulkey, Children’s National Hospital) 

2023 Selected Studies (Year 3):

·       Mast cell treatment in post-tick bite illness (PI: Scott Commins, Univ North Carolina at Chapel Hill) 

·      Proteolytic enzymes as potential treatments for fibrin/amyloid deposition and platelet hyperactivation in Lyme Disease (PIs: David Putrino/ Amy Proal, Mount Sinai) 

·       Pulse IV ceftriaxone therapy for patients with persistent symptoms in Lyme disease (PI: Paolino, SUNY Upstate)