The CTN is led by senior investigators committed to improving the lives of individuals with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. The focus is treatment, as this is a major clinical need and a much neglected area. The CTN studies will help to shape medical practice in the United States and elsewhere, as its study results will be published in prominent peer-reviewed journals.

This research however is not possible without the generous participation of the patient community. We thank all study participants as they play such a vital role in this major public health endeavor!

Treatment research can be of different types. Some treatments are “open-label” meaning that the treatment is known by participant and doctor. Some are “double-masked” meaning that neither participant nor doctor knows whether the participant is receiving one treatment, another treatment, or an inactive drug (‘placebo’) or other intervention (‘masked’). Studies generally vary in duration from 1-2 years. All studies are conducted under IRB-approved protocols and all participants are carefully monitored for safety and clinical outcome. The public can learn more about current Lyme and other Tick-borne disease treatment studies by going to www.clinicaltrials.gov. Just type in the name of the tick-borne disease and you will find a list of current and completed studies.

Active Clinical Studies

Each year the CTN supports 1-2 small-scale human treatment studies to be conducted at one of the CTN investigation sites (see Pilot Awards). Supported studies focus on important unaddressed questions in treatment of Lyme and other tick-related diseases.

As new studies are approved and launched, we will post them here. Currently there are several supported studies at different stages of development:

• Tetracycline treatment tolerability trial aims to assess preliminary data on the efficacy of 3 months duration tetracycline treatment in reducing PTLD symptoms. Click here for more information.
• Vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) for persistent fatigue trial investigates the safety and tolerability of a non-antibiotic non-invasive approach to reduce the burden of multisystem symptoms in patients with PTLD. Click here for more information.
• IV ketamine for depression in Lyme trial aims to evaluate the safety and tolerability of repeated ketamine treatments for individuals with PTLD and symptoms of depression.
• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and cognitive retraining for Lyme brain fog trial assesses the safety and feasibility of a long-term tDCS treatment in patients with a history of Lyme disease and persistent cognitive problems.
• Early neurodevelopmental outcomes of antenatal exposure to Lyme trial studies whether infants with in utero exposure during pregnancy complicated by maternal Lyme Disease present with abnormal neurodevelopment during childhood. Click here for more information.

Should you wish to learn about any of the other studies underway at the CTN nodes, please go to their specific webpage:

Columbia University Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Research Center

Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center

Children's National Division of Infectious Diseases