Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42049716›Full record

ArticleNature communications2026

Heritable immunization of mice against Lyme disease enables ecological disease prevention.

Joanna Buchthal, Emma J Chory, Zachary Hill, Yu Zhou, Devanand Bondage, Summer DeAmelio, Julien Freeman, Rudolf Jaenisch, Styliani Markoulaki, Wayne A Marasco and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Joanna BuchthalMedia Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. buchthal@mit.edu.
Emma J ChoryDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Zachary HillMedia Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Yu ZhouDepartment of Cancer Immunology & Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
Devanand BondageMedia Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Summer DeAmelioMedia Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Julien FreemanMedia Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Rudolf JaenischWhitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2540-7099
Styliani MarkoulakiWhitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Wayne A MarascoDepartment of Cancer Immunology & Virology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3764-4611
Sam R TelfordDepartment of Infectious Disease and Global Health, Tufts University, Grafton, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4548-8663
Kevin M EsveltMedia Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA. esvelt@mit.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8797-3945

Funding

United States Department of Defense | United States Army | Army Medical Command | Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) Award # TB160101 W81XWH-17-1-0669U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) Award # R01 AI 152209
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Heritable immunization is a promising approach to controlling infectious diseases by embedding immunity directly into the genomes of wild species that spread human pathogens. Here, we report the genetic engineering of Mus musculus to genomically encode a single-chain antibody against Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. After optimization of the antibody format, engineered mice stably produce a LA-2 scFv-albumin fusion protein targeting the Borrelia outer surface protein A (OspA) across multiple generations, demonstrating robust heritability and stability of gene expression. Following sequential challenges with infected and uninfected ticks, heterozygous mice exhibit strong resistance to infection, effectively interrupting the Borrelia burgdorferi disease transmission cycle. Having recently established protocols to genetically engineer the white-footed mouse Peromyscus leucopus, a key reservoir of Lyme disease, these findings demonstrate the feasibility of heritable immunization as a potential strategy for mitigating Lyme disease transmission in the environment. Engineered reservoir immunity may offer a promising approach to controlling vector-borne and zoonotic disease.

Indexed as

Borrelia burgdorferiImmunizationLyme DiseaseAnimalsAntibodies, BacterialAntigens, SurfaceBacterial Outer Membrane ProteinsBacterial VaccinesFemaleGenetic EngineeringHumansLipoproteinsMicePeromyscusAntibodies, BacterialAntigens, SurfaceBacterial Outer Membrane ProteinsBacterial VaccinesLipoproteinsOspA protein

Identifiers

PMID42049716
PMCPMC13328618

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.