More than 1100 Lyme advocates have asked Congress to bring back a Lyme disease research program that has been eliminated for Fiscal Year 2025.

“Engagement by the Lyme community has been great,” said Bonnie Crater, of the Center for Lyme Action, organizer of the letter-writing campaign.

“Together we have sent 1187 letters to Congress to restore and fund the TBDRP. But our job is not done.”

The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s Tick-Borne Disease Research Program (TBDRP) is important to our Lyme and TBD community for many reasons.

• TBDRP is the only federally funded research program that actively includes expert patients in the project selection process resulting in more patient-focused efforts to find cures.
• Thousands of U.S. military personnel have been sidelined and forced to retire because of their or a family member’s tick-borne disease, affecting our military readiness and our national security.
• CDMRP TBDRP is the only federal research program for Lyme and tick-borne disease that primarily focuses on sorely-needed diagnostics and therapies.

Having patient representatives play an active role in identifying research priorities and shaping study designs ensures that the research directly addresses real-world challenges and unmet needs.

For example, in 2024, TBDRP granted funds for a groundbreaking study of neurological Lyme disease using data collected by the MyLymeData patient registry.

Tell your Member of Congress that you want this critical program restored for FY25 and funded at $9M for FY26.

Click here to take action.