NIH and Bay Area Lyme Foundation Grants Fuel Babesiosis Drug Development at University of Vermont
核心洞察
Tick-borne infections now account for more than 75% of all vector-borne disease cases in the U.S., with babesiosis (搜索) cases rising dramatically alongside anaplasmosis (搜索) over the past decade.
Dr. Peter Hyson received an NIH K08 award and a $150,000 Bay Area Lyme Foundation (搜索) Emerging Leader Award to advance preclinical development of novel compounds targeting Babesia protein synthesis.
Current babesiosis (搜索) treatments are often inadequate, with elderly and immunocompromised patients frequently relapsing after standard-of-care therapy.
Tick-borne diseases have surged across the United States, now representing more than 75 percent of all vector-borne disease cases nationwide, according to the National Institutes of Health. While Lyme disease (搜索) remains the most prevalent, diagnoses of anaplasmosis (搜索) and babesiosis (搜索) have increased dramatically over the past ten years—a trend that has galvanized researchers at the University of Vermont's Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine to pursue new therapeutic options.
Babesiosis (搜索), caused by the malaria-like Babesia protozoan parasite that invades red blood cells, presents a particularly difficult clinical challenge. The infection can trigger fatigue, malaise, fever, muscle and joint pain, and in more severe cases, anemia, red blood cell breakdown, and jaundice.
"Babesiosis (搜索) is rarer than Lyme disease (搜索), and it is also more difficult to treat," said infectious disease physician Peter Hyson, M.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine. "The medicines we currently have for babesiosis aren't very effective, and people who are elderly or immunocompromised often relapse after treatment."
Dual Funding Accelerates Preclinical Research
To address this unmet medical need, the NIH granted Dr. Hyson a K08 award, which provides five years of salary support and protected research time for early-career clinician-scientists to establish independent research programs. In parallel, the Bay Area Lyme Foundation (搜索)—the leading public charity sponsor of innovative Lyme and tick-borne disease research in the U.S.—awarded Hyson a $150,000 Emerging Leader Award, presented at the foundation's annual LymeAid gala over Memorial Day weekend.
The Bay Area Lyme Foundation (搜索)'s Emerging Leader Award, launched in 2014, supports high-impact, proof-of-concept research aimed at advancing new diagnostics and treatments for Lyme and related diseases. Each award is designed to accelerate innovative approaches and generate insights that can improve patient care, targeting early- to mid-career researchers who demonstrate strong potential to drive progress in the field.
Targeting Babesia Protein Synthesis
Hyson's K08 research will focus on preclinical drug development involving a series of compounds believed to inhibit babesia protein synthesis. The work aims to identify specific drug targets and measure the likelihood of drug resistance emerging—critical steps in advancing a candidate toward clinical evaluation.
He has already identified a promising new class of compounds against Babesia and is working to confirm their drug target. If approved, this would represent the first drug created specifically for treatment of babesiosis (搜索).
"If the drugs I am studying are found to be effective at treating babesiosis (搜索), they could become the standard of care going forward," Hyson said.
A Growing Regional and National Threat
In Vermont, approximately 60 percent of black-legged ticks test positive for a tick-borne disease, placing residents at high risk for infection. According to the Vermont Department of Health, Babesia, Anaplasmosis (搜索), Powassan virus, Ehrlichiosis, and other tick-borne pathogens have all been identified in the state. Notably, there is no defined "tick season"—tick-borne diseases are diagnosed during all 12 months of the year.
"I worry about my neighbors or my kids getting this infection because standard of care treatment isn't always effective and relapsing cases can develop," Hyson said. "For the last four years, my team has been working with Babesia parasites in the lab, developing new experimental tools and discovering new drug candidates for this disease."
Hyson will work closely with his mentor, Chris Huston, M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Disease, and will pursue coursework in molecular parasitology to prepare for a career as an independent scientist. The research has contributed to the University of Vermont's designation by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an R1 institution, placing it in the top tier of research universities in the United States.