Bay Area Lyme Spotlight Series
“There are significant increases after Lyme in fibroids and in endometriosis.”
– Michal Caspi Tal, PhD
Imagine a world where Lyme disease isn’t something people fear, but something we actively prevent, or at least treat more precisely, especially for the many who suffer long after the tick bite. Dr. Michal “Mikki” Caspi Tal, immunoengineer and Associate Scientific Director at the MIT Center for Gynecology Pathology Research, is turning that possibility into reality. Her research isn’t just pushing boundaries, it’s rewriting the rules, especially in regards to women’s health.
“Nobody had looked…at what was happening to the uterus.”
– Michal Caspi Tal, PhD
Watching this incredible Ticktective™ interview with host Dana Parish is an absolute treasure trove of information—and if you or someone you know has ever wondered why some people recover from Lyme and others don’t, why symptoms linger, or why women disproportionately suffer, this is one of the most important conversations you’ll hear this year.
Click here to watch or listen now
Dr. Tal, 2018 Bay Area Lyme Foundation Emerging Leader Award recipient, is breaking new ground with her investigations:
- From mice to medicine: Dr. Tal’s team discovered severe uterine infections in female mice with chronic Lyme. This surprising finding launched a collaboration with MIT researchers to explore how Lyme may affect the female reproductive system—and its links to fibroids, endometriosis, and fertility problems.
- Cracking the code of persistence: Borrelia, the bacteria that cause Lyme, are masters of immune evasion. Dr. Tal’s group is digging into immune checkpoint regulation and diverse immune responses to understand how infections become chronic.
- The MAESTRO study: At MIT, Dr. Tal is leading a clinical study recruiting people with acute Lyme, chronic Lyme, and long COVID. Participants undergo deep medical testing to uncover biological markers that could unlock earlier diagnosis and better treatments.
Dr. Tal’s message is clear: we need more research into the ways infections impact women’s health—and fast. This work could reshape how we think about chronic illness, reproductive health, and immune resilience.
Don’t miss the full conversation with Dr. Tal. It’s riveting, hopeful, and may just change how you think about Lyme and long COVID. Click here to watch or listen now.
Michal Caspi Tal, PhD, is an immunoengineer and Principal Scientist at MIT, where she leads the Tal Research Group in the Department of Biological Engineering and serves as Associate Scientific Director of the Center for Gynepathology Research. Her work focuses on how infections like tick-borne disease and COVID trigger chronic illness and differ by sex, to improve diagnostics and treatments. She trained at Yale and Stanford, earning NIH fellowships and later leading infectious disease research at Stanford. Dr. Tal received the 2018 Emerging Leader Award from Bay Area Lyme Foundation. This blog is part of our Bay Area Lyme Spotlight series. If you require a copy of this article in a bigger typeface and/or double-spaced layout, contact us here. Bay Area Lyme Foundation provides reliable, fact-based information about Lyme and tick-borne diseases so that prevention and the importance of early treatment are common knowledge. For more information about Bay Area Lyme, including our research and prevention programs, go to www.bayarealyme.org.