Tick-borne Disease Research

For years, Lilli, Janet, and Chaya battled relentless fatigue, pain, and uncertainty after being bitten by a tick – searching for answers but finding none. Their health declined, their energy vanished, and life as they knew it came to a halt. Everything changed when they joined a groundbreaking tick-borne disease research study at Royal North Shore Hospital. Through this program, they finally received the treatment they so desperately needed – treatment that gave them their lives back. Now thriving and active once more, they are fierce advocates for awareness, determined to share their stories so others can find help sooner.

In Australia, our knowledge about tick-borne disease is limited as we do not monitor or look for the possibility of the disease being present unless it is within a select set of conditions (such as tick typhus/spotted fever). This is further complicated by the limited diagnostic tests available in Australia which means that potential tick-borne disease is often not recognised or misdiagnosed at first instance.

Our research team will be undertaking a significant and first of its kind clinical research program which places patients at the centre of the study. Through this research program we hope to:

Existing research has not focused on investigating effective and reliable methods of diagnosis for patients with tick-borne disease or their symptoms and potential treatment options. Our research focuses on what is happening to the bodies of patients and will lead to more certainty around diagnosis, better treatment options and an evidence based clinical pathway.

The clinical research program will initially recruit 80 patients through a specially designed questionnaire (modelled on international standard diagnostic practices) and GP referrals.

Our multidisciplinary team of researchers want to transform the way in which tick-borne disease patients are viewed and improve their access to diagnostic testing, reliable identification of the causes of their illness and the treatment options available to them.