Bay Area Lyme Foundation Launches Ticktective™ Podcast

PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif., Sept. 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a leading sponsor of Lyme disease research in the US, announces the launch of the Ticktective podcast and video series.  Ticktective is a Bay Area Lyme Foundation program designed to investigate the latest scientific knowledge and advances in Lyme and tick-borne diseases. The podcast offers insightful discussion with researchers, physicians, patients, and thought leaders in the field.

"Because the science surrounding tick-borne disease is so complex and there are so many unanswered questions, Ticktective aims to share firsthand perspectives about the challenges of Lyme in ways that will intrigue more scientists, physicians and patients to join our battle towards making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure," said Linda Giampa, executive director, Bay Area Lyme Foundation.

There are more than 400,000 people diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in the US, and millions of Americans live with persistent Lyme disease (PLD) caused by an ongoing bacterial infection. The current "gold standard" diagnostic for Lyme disease misses up to 60% of cases of early stage Lyme disease, and if not treated promptly, Lyme may progress to a debilitating stage, becoming difficult, or impossible, to cure. Bay Area Lyme Foundation has funded over 100 research projects at 37 institutions across the US in a mission to find solutions for these patients.

"I've always had an insatiable curiosity, and my own diagnosis of Lyme disease has driven me to use this curiosity to find answers that will help lead to solutions for all tick-borne diseases," said Ticktective host Lia Gaertner, who is the director of education and outreach for Bay Area Lyme Foundation and holds degrees in environmental science and ethnobotany.

Initial Ticktective interviews include conversations addressing the challenges of developing a diagnostic for Lyme disease, the scientific techniques being used to overcome these challenges, what motivates researchers taking on this challenge, and the frustration of patients.

• 2020 Emerging Leader Award Winner Jacob Lemieux, MD, DPhil of Harvard University discusses the similarities and difference of Lyme disease and malaria, the promise of next-generation sequencing for developing a diagnostic, his lab's role in COVID-19 research, and the intersection of COVID-19 and Lyme disease.
• 2020 Emerging Leader Award Winner Artem Rogovsky, DVM, PhD of Texas A&M University discusses what he learned from radioactive ticks, why he is aiming to develop a direct diagnostic for Lyme, and how a conversation at a kids' birthday party ignited the innovative idea for this diagnostic concept.
• Liz Horn, PhD, MBI is principal investigator for the Lyme Disease Biobank, which aims to enable and accelerate research by providing scientists with the biological samples needed to conduct important experiments. The Biobank has enrolled over 900 participants and currently supports more than 55 research projects.
• Singer-songwriter Dana Parish, who not only has numerous chart-topping singles, but has also become a strong advocate for people with Lyme disease after a tick bite in 2014 that progressed to a persistent infection despite antibiotic treatment. She discusses how she is "fighting the good fight," and making progress in her personal battle and for the cause.

"I was driven to become a songwriter as I wanted to make people feel understood, knowing that the best songs are personal yet universal. With that same spirit, it's been vital to me to use my voice to be honest about what I've learned about the travesty of tick-borne diseases. In an area of medicine filled with misinformation, Ticktective is bringing valuable insights and help straight to the Lyme community. I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to share my Lyme experience with listeners of Ticktective," said Parish, whom Gaertner refers to as a fierce champion for the under-represented Lyme community.

Listen to the Ticktective podcast here: www.bayarealyme.org/category/podcast. Check out other resources of Bay Area Lyme Foundation, including printable fact sheets, videos, educational tools and more, and follow us on and Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Lyme Disease
The most common vector-borne infectious disease in the country, Lyme disease is a potentially disabling infection caused by bacteria transmitted through the bite of an infected tick to people and pets. If caught early, most cases of Lyme disease can be effectively treated, but it is commonly misdiagnosed due to lack of awareness and unreliable diagnostic tests. There are more than 400,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year, according to statistics released in 2018 by the CDC. As a result of the difficulty in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease, more than one million Americans may be suffering from the impact of its debilitating long-term symptoms and complications, according to Bay Area Lyme Foundation estimates.

About Bay Area Lyme Foundation
Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a national organization committed to making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure, is a leading public not-for-profit sponsor of innovative Lyme disease research in the US.  A 501c3 non-profit organization based in Silicon Valley, Bay Area Lyme Foundation collaborates with world-class scientists and institutions to accelerate medical breakthroughs for Lyme disease. It is also dedicated to providing reliable, fact-based information so that prevention and the importance of early treatment are common knowledge. A pivotal donation from The LaureL STEM Fund covers overhead costs and allows for 100% of all donor contributions to Bay Area Lyme Foundation to go directly to research and prevention programs. For more information about Lyme disease or to get involved, visit www.bayarealyme.org or call us at 650-530-2439.

SOURCE Bay Area Lyme Foundation

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