For Guelph researcher Melanie Wills, the fight against Lyme disease is personal. After suffering its symptoms for 20 years before getting a diagnosis, the molecular biologist is now helping lead the charge against the widely misunderstood pathogen.
Backed by a $1.4-milion grant from the G. Magnotta Foundation for Vector-Borne Diseases, Dr Wills is working to help improve diagnostic testing and treatment as head of the university’s G. Magnotta Lyme Disease Research Lab.
Dr. Wills, a research associate in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, is spurred by her own experience of years of misdiagnosis − including a false-negative test result 10 years ago. She hopes to identify biomarkers and prognostic indicators for Lyme disease and uncover evidenced-based testing and treatment options, and she plans to work with other Lyme researchers and centres, develop a national collaborative network of scientists, clinicians and patients, and involve students in research.
The foundation and the new lab is named after Gabe Magnotta, co-founder of Magnotta Winery, who died in 2009 after a seven-year battle with Lyme disease.
