Tufts University researchers are using AI and machine learning to more quickly identify potential narrow-spectrum antibiotics to prevent and treat Lyme disease, thanks to a generous gift from an alumnus that sped up their timeline by two to three years. 

The work has already identified several hundred unique compounds that kill Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, while leaving other bacteria unaffected. Such narrow-spectrum antibiotic drug development is vital to prevent a drug that might kill Lyme bacteria from also killing helpful bacteria in the body’s microbiome or leading to drug resistance.

The gift has now enabled researchers to attract significant additional funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private foundations to expand their efforts.