Bay Area Lyme Foundation Announces Scientific Advisory Board Appointments

PORTOLA VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the leading national nonprofit funder of innovative Lyme disease research, today announced the Bay Area Lyme Foundation Scientific Advisory Board members who will aid the organization in achieving the mission of making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure. Consisting of some of the country's leading Lyme researchers, the board was specifically developed to include researchers and clinicians from across the US who play a critical role in obtaining a better understanding of Lyme disease in the lab and in clinical practice. Lyme disease is the fastest growing infectious disease in the US, a potentially debilitating condition that impacts 300,000 Americans each year. 

"Understanding of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease remains a scientific mystery that requires much research and many great minds to solve," said Linda Giampa, executive director of Bay Area Lyme Foundation, the leading private funder of innovative Lyme disease research in the US. "The intelligence, determination and enthusiasm of each of our Scientific Advisory Board members is not only inspiring but also critical to solving the mystery of Lyme disease. We are confident that their involvement will help us continue to make great strides toward better understanding this enigma and offer solutions."

Organized like a Venture Capital investment company, Bay Area Lyme Foundation systematically evaluates funding opportunities and takes a hands-on approach to projects they fund. The Bay Area Lyme Foundation Scientific Advisory Board will play a key role in this process. 

Each Board member has vast expertise and experience in the field of Lyme disease, and has demonstrated a relentless commitment to finding solutions for Lyme patients. Their specialties offer a broad perspective of this condition, including ecology, biomarker research, and disease progression, that is valuable in the continued pursuit of an accurate diagnostic and cure. The Bay Area Lyme Foundation Scientific Advisory Board consists of the following influential researchers and clinicians:

• John Aucott, MD, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a renowned expert in clinical research on the diagnosis and epidemiology of Lyme disease
• Charles Chiu, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, and an expert in advanced genomic technologies for pathogen discovery and clinical diagnostics for blood-borne infections. 
• Monica Embers, PhD, Assistant Professor, Tulane University Health Sciences
• Christine Green, MD, Director of Education and Board Member International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), and Board Member, LymeDisease.org
• Robert Lane, PhD, Professor, University of California, Berkeley (Environmental Science, Policy & Management)
• William Robinson, MD, PhD, Assoc. Professor, Stanford University Dept. of Medicine (Immunology & Rheumatology) and member of the Stanford Lyme Working Group (SLWG)
• Irving Weissman, MD, Professor, Stanford University (Developmental Biology & Cancer Research), and Director, Stanford Institute of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Director, Ludwig Center for Cancer Stem Cell Research at Stanford University

About Lyme Disease
One of the most common infectious diseases in the country, Lyme disease is a potentially debilitating 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 about 300,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year, 10 times more than previously reported, according to statistics released in 2013 by the CDC. As a result of the difficulty in diagnosing and treating Lyme disease, as many as 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 nonprofit organization committed to making Lyme disease easy to diagnose and simple to cure, is the a leading sponsor of innovative Lyme disease research in the US.  A national 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Silicon Valley, the 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. 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

Related Links

http://www.bayarealyme.org

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