Blog - Bay Area Lyme Foundation

A Foot-Tapper and Smile-Creator! Lyme Patient Releases New Jazz Album

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Bay Area Lyme Spotlight Series

“Every listen helps fund Lyme research.”

– Steve Ehrlich

Steve Ehrlich emigrated to the San Francisco Bay Area from South Africa in 1989. Chronic Lyme Disease cut short his career in the software industry, and he turned to writing music. He has released three contemporary albums with his virtual band, The Inter Section. He spends his days on his sofa writing music with his doggie, Frankie, hitting play and paws when needed. The first two jazz albums and his latest – a Latin-inspired acoustic EP – are now available on all the streaming apps, and all the proceeds will be donated to Bay Area Lyme.

Your Immune System Keeps Time: Research May Reveal When Lyme Infection Begins

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Bay Area Lyme Leading the Way series

Understanding what the body reveals about infection

New research from Lyme scientist Maria Gomes-Solecki, DVM, shows how patterns in antibodies could help develop earlier and more accurate diagnostics.

Diagnosing Lyme disease early remains one of the biggest challenges facing patients and physicians grappling with the impact of this tick-borne infection. Today’s blood tests typically look for antibodies, which are molecules the immune system produces in response to infection, but those antibodies take time to appear. That delay can leave patients and doctors uncertain in the earliest days after a tick bite.

New research led by Maria Gomes-Solecki, DVM, is helping scientists better understand how the immune system responds to Lyme infection and how those signals might help doctors determine not only whether someone has Lyme disease but also how long they’ve been infected. Dr. Gomes-Solecki has studied Lyme disease for decades and was the first researcher to receive samples from Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s Lyme Disease Biobank in 2016. This resource has since helped accelerate diagnostic research across the field.

Dr. Gomes-Solecki’s latest research focuses on different types of antibodies, sometimes called antibody classes or “isotypes,” that appear as the immune response evolves during infection.

In Memory of Brandon Jutras, PhD

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

It is with profound sadness that all of us at Bay Area Lyme Foundation mourn the loss of Brandon Jutras, PhD, an extraordinary scientist, a treasured research partner, and a dear friend to so many in the Lyme disease community.

Brandon was one of the brightest minds in Lyme disease research. Brilliant, endlessly curious, and driven by a genuine desire to improve the lives of Lyme patients, he dedicated his career to understanding Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. His work transformed our understanding of bacterial biology and pathogenesis while opening entirely new avenues for the development of desperately needed diagnostics and treatments.

Bay Area Lyme Ventures Invests in LymeLess Health to Accelerate AI-Powered Innovation for Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Patients

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bay Area Lyme Ventures Invests in LymeLess Health to Accelerate AI-Powered Innovation for Lyme & Tick-Borne Disease Patients

Investment supports launch of AI care companion, Ella, designed to help Lyme+ patients navigate diagnosis, treatment, and long-term disease management

PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif., August 22, 2026 — Bay Area Lyme Ventures, Bay Area Lyme Foundation’s venture philanthropy initiative devoted to advancing solutions for Lyme disease, today announced that it has invested in LymeLess Health , an AI-powered digital health company focused on transforming how people with Lyme disease navigate diagnosis, treatment, and long-term care. The announcement coincides with the launch of LymeLess’ patient app powered by Ella, an intelligent AI health companion designed specifically for Lyme and tick-borne disease (Lyme+) patients.

The investment reflects Bay Area Lyme Ventures mission to accelerate promising innovations that have the potential to improve the lives of Lyme disease patients by advancing new diagnostics, therapeutics, digital health technologies, and data-driven approaches to care.

“People with Lyme disease often spend months or years searching for answers while trying to manage an extraordinarily complex illness,” said Linda Giampa, founder and managing director of Bay Area Lyme Ventures. “Bay Area Lyme Ventures was created to help accelerate innovations that can change that trajectory. LymeLess combines patient experience, artificial intelligence, and real-world data in a way that has the potential to empower patients while generating insights that could ultimately advance research across the Lyme disease field.”

Ed Breitschwerdt, DVM, PhD: Bartonella, PANS & Autism: The Infection Connection

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Ed Breitschwerdt, DVM, PhD

Dr. Edward B. Breitschwerdt is a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is also an adjunct professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, and a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Dr. Breitschwerdt directs the Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory in the Institute for Comparative Medicine at North Carolina State University. He also co-directs the Vector Borne Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory and is the director of the NCSU-CVM Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory.

Breitschwerdt’s clinical interests include infectious diseases, immunology, and nephrology. For over 30 years, his research has emphasized vector-transmitted, intracellular pathogens. Most recently, he has contributed to cutting-edge research in the areas of animal and human bartonellosis.

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From the Field: Where Tick Bite Prevention Meets Real Life

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Bay Area Lyme Spotlight series

AEOE Spring Conference 2026 | Springville, California

At this year’s AEOE Spring Conference 2026, Bay Area Lyme was once again on the ground, meeting the people who shape how the next generation experiences the outdoors.

And the message was clear: the need for tick-bite prevention education has never been greater.

Jo Ellis, Director of Education, connected with more than 300 naturalists, many of them early in their careers, deeply passionate, and actively leading outdoor programs for children across California. Nearly 40% were first-time attendees, bringing energy and reach, but often little awareness of tick exposure risk in the state.

The response to our presence was immediate and overwhelming.

“The exponential impact and reach of this program cannot be underestimated, and it’s one of our most important outreach events educating high-risk individuals about Lyme in California.”

– Jo Ellis, Director of Education, Bay Area Lyme

“We Take Every Case Personally”: Understanding Lyme Disease Biobank’s Tissue Recovery Program

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Bay Area Lyme Leading the Way series

A behind-the-scenes look at how Wauchita Green and Pauline Lui help turn patients’ tissue donations into research that is changing the future of Lyme disease.

Lyme Disease Biobank, a program of Bay Area Lyme Foundation, partners with the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI) to help advance Lyme disease research. Together, they enable patients to contribute tissue samples, collected during surgery or after death, which the Biobank shares with approved scientists studying infection and immune response. NDRI’s nationwide recovery network ensures these precious donations are handled with care and respect. This partnership helps turn patient generosity into real progress, accelerating the search for better diagnostics, treatments, and ultimately, a cure.

The Biobank also partners with MyLymeData, allowing Lyme patients registered with the Biobank to link their MyLymeData profile to their tissue donation, if desired.

When families whose lives have been impacted by Lyme disease call to talk about donating tissue, they’re often overwhelmed. But thankfully, the NDRI private donor team is standing by 24/7/365 to help. Patients and families typically want to know:

“How much does this cost?”
“What actually happens?”
“Is this going to be complicated?”

Organ-On-A-Chip: Restoring a Patient’s Ability to Fight Back Against Lyme

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

Bay Area Lyme Leading the Way series

Our 2026 LymeAid Fund-A-Need supported Girija Goyal, PhD, at Harvard’s Wyss Institute, whose groundbreaking lymph node chip models human immune responses to Lyme disease, accelerating the development of personalized therapies and potentially restoring a patient’s ability to fight back against Lyme. This technology was recently highlighted in NASA Artemis-related organ chip research.

NASA is using organ-on-a-chip technologies to study human biology in space.

This breakthrough technology allows investigator Girija Goyal, PhD, at Harvard’s Wyss Institute to recreate key aspects of the human immune system on a tiny chip—a pioneering approach leveraging human biology rather than traditional animal models. Using her lymphoid organ chip, Dr. Goyal has identified one way Lyme bacteria appear to evade the immune system.

This is not research repurposed from another disease. It is a fundamentally new approach aimed at enabling the body’s natural ability to fight infection. It is Lyme-focused science built from the ground up and tested from the start in a human system designed by the scientist leading the work. Its promise is so significant that organizations like NASA are using similar organ-on-a-chip technologies to study human biology in space.

Bay Area Lyme Ventures Invests in Galaxy Diagnostics to Advance Tick-Borne Disease Testing

Galaxy Diagnostics and Bay Area Lyme Ventures

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bay Area Lyme Ventures Invests in Galaxy Diagnostics to Advance Tick-Borne Disease Testing

Partnership Aims to Accelerate Innovation in Diagnostic Tools for Patients with Complex Tick and Vector-Borne Illnesses

DURHAM, NC., June 2, 2026 – Galaxy Diagnostics, a leader in advanced vector-borne disease testing, has announced a strategic investment from Bay Area Lyme Ventures, the newly launched impact investment fund created by Bay Area Lyme Foundation to accelerate innovation in Lyme and tick-borne disease diagnostics and therapeutics.

With reported tick-borne disease cases more than doubling in the United States over the past two decades, the investment underscores the growing urgency for more accurate and accessible diagnostic tools for complex vector-borne illnesses.

Founded by leaders in vector-borne disease research, Galaxy Diagnostics was created to address a critical gap in medicine: the detection of stealth pathogens that often go undiagnosed by conventional testing. The company has become known for advancing diagnostics designed to help providers better identify complex infections associated with Lyme and other vector-borne diseases.

Galaxy’s growing portfolio includes advanced molecular testing, antigen detection technologies, and diagnostic collaborations to translate emerging scientific discoveries from the lab into real-world clinical tools. Backed by hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and partnerships with leading academic researchers, the company continues to advance new standards for precision in tick-borne disease diagnostics.

“We are honored to receive support from Bay Area Lyme Ventures at a critical moment for tick-borne disease diagnostics,” said Nicole Bell, CEO of Galaxy Diagnostics. “Bay Area Lyme has funded much of the foundational research that Galaxy is now bringing to patients — the investment in Galaxy reflects their commitment to seeing those innovations through to the clinic, and to ensuring that better diagnostics actually reach the people who need them.”

Bay Area Lyme Foundation Raises $900,000 at LymeAid 2026, Presenting Inaugural Neil L. Spector, MD, Legacy Award and $300,000 in Emerging Leader Grants

By Bay Area Lyme Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bay Area Lyme Foundation Raises $900,000 at LymeAid 2026, Presenting Inaugural Neil L. Spector, MD, Legacy Award and $300,000 in Emerging Leader Grants

Dana Carvey Emceed; Chris Isaak Performed at Annual Gala Advancing Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Research

PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif., May 27, 2026 — Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the nation’s leading public charity funder of Lyme disease research, raised $900,000 at LymeAid 2026, its annual benefit gala, over the Memorial Day weekend. The evening brought together leading scientists and clinicians, patients, and supporters united by a shared conviction: Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections should not be hard to diagnose, hard to treat, or easy to dismiss, and the science to change that is within reach.

Emmy Award-winning comedian Dana Carvey served as Master of Ceremonies. “This was my third time hosting LymeAid, and let me tell you, this community has more determination than my Church Lady character at a bake sale,” said Carvey.

Platinum-selling, GRAMMY-nominated singer Chris Isaak and his band Silvertone closed the evening in concert.

“Saturday night, LymeAid 2026 attendees came together in support of patients and to advance the research producing better diagnostics, new treatment approaches, and long overdue answers for patients with Lyme and other tick-borne diseases,” said David Walsey, Executive Director of Bay Area Lyme Foundation. “Bay Area Lyme exists to fund exactly that work, because this is a solvable problem and there are too many patients still searching for answers, losing years to inadequate diagnostics and treatment options.”