July 14, 2025 • 26 mins
One small bite from a deer tick can lead to debilitating symptoms and a lifelong battle with Lyme disease. At George Mason University, researchers are developing innovative diagnostic technologies that are changing the landscape of Lyme disease detection. In this episode of the Access to Excellence podcast, George Mason President Gregory Washington speaks with Alessandra Luchini, professor in the School of Systems Biology in the College of Science, about the development of cancer and Lyme disease detection technologies, and the importance of international collaboration in scientific progress.
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(00:04):
Trailblazers in researchinnovators, in technology,
and those who simply have a good story:
all make up the fabric thatis George Mason University,
where taking on the grand challengesthat face our students, graduates,
and higher education is ourmission and our passion.
Hosted by Mason PresidentGregory Washington,
this is the Access to Excellence podcast.
(00:27):
It wasn't long ago that we were allregulars at the Fenwick COVID-19
testing site, participatingin saliva-based COVID-19 test,
actually developed byGeorge Mason researchers.
And now with innovationcomes further questions.
What else can we detect and diagnose now?
Alessandra Luchini is a professorin the School of Systems
(00:51):
Biology in the College of Science.
Her research focuses on developingtechnologies that improve current
diagnostics and therapeutics for diseases,
including cancer and inflammatoryand infectious disease.
Alessandra, welcome to the show.
Thank you very much for having me.
(01:12):
Your Mason journey began in2005 when you came here from
Italy on a research fellowshipto do cancer research,
but your training is in engineering.
So what led you to thefield of diagnostic testing?
I love, uh, the diagnostic challenge, uh,
to me is like solving a puzzle,
(01:35):
piecing together differentclues to try and solve
the final mystery (01:40):
who done it, right? What,
what is it that causes this ailment,this illness, uh, this terrible, uh,
symptoms in the diagnostic journey.
I hope to learn something that, uh,explains how the disease develops.
Ah, diagnostics and, andnew research in it is at,
(02:00):
in the intersection betweenscience, innovation, patient care.
So 20 years in it.
I find it very rewarding to be able todo a research that has very concrete,
practical impact in the life of people.
You know, you came to the US to doresearch. What were your thoughts?
What made you move?
(02:20):
Right, I was chasing thedream! I, I had a plan. I,
I wanted to come here, stay sixmonths, solve the sole cancer issue,
um, make my parents proud and come back.
And what I realized when I cameto Mason is that the tools and the
technical aspects of the researchwere not completely figured out.
(02:43):
And as humbling as it was, I foundit to be an excellent challenge.
And having an engineering background,
I'm kind of wired of finding aproblem, try to identify a solution,
and, and I really embracethis, this new challenge.
And I found an excellentenvironment with my directors,
doctors Liotta and Petricoin,that foster creativity and,
(03:08):
and finding new solutions. And great, uh,
in involvement and synergy from thelocal biotech companies, students,
different scientists,international collaboration. So,
I loved it.
So you came in, you had aproject, that's what got you here.
There was some set of outcomesthat you were hoping to achieve.
(03:30):
Mm-hmm.Mm-hmm .
What were you hoping for?
What kind of outcomes did you think youwould get with the cancer diagnostic
research that you started,uh, when you came here?
Absolutely. So the, the, the goal and,
and the reason why Italy sent me out here,
and the reason why I was collaboratingwith all the C-A-P-M-M scientists was
to develop a test,
a blood-based test or somethingthat is really non-invasive,
(03:54):
that could tell us whowas going to get cancer.
And so this was a cancerrisk kind of test.
So we could identify people very earlybefore they had any clinical signs
and implications. And as, uh,
the name of the center says wewere focusing on proteomics,
and this is kind of aphenotypical way of looking, um,
(04:17):
at the patient's molecular information.
And it is a little bit ofthe difference between a, uh,
let's say a football playbook and,and the football players right?
.
Looking at, at proteins. Theseare the guys who do things,
who carry the actions. Andthat's what we were looking, and,
and by looking at all the complementof these players and, and you know,
(04:38):
when they go wrong, thenthe health goes very wrong.
We hope to understand thecancer development and
pathogenesis, so to,
for those protein targets tobe the drugs of the future.
Understood. Understood.
Were you able to develop any newtechnologies during that time?
Sure. Right. Where there is the need,there is an incentive to find a,
(05:03):
a novel technology. And itwas a very good collaboration.
And the Mason scientists were verygood at collaborating with the biotech
enterprises, uh, aroundlocally and nationally.
And so many technologies were developed.
My focus was on a specificway, or nanotechnology,
a specific way to capture theproteins and the targets we
(05:27):
were interested in whileisolating the noise.
And so in a way,
we were stabilizing and amplifyingthe signal by blocking the
background.
Wow. I see.
And so this technology thenwas licensed by a company,
and it was kind of very nice way togive back to the biotech community
(05:47):
that sparked thiscollaboration in the beginning.
As a member of the George MasonCenter for Applied Proteomics and
Molecular Medicine,
you supported the work on developingGeorge Mason's novel saliva testing
for COVID-19.
What was it like being a researcherduring those early months of the COVID-19
(06:09):
pandemic?
It was a very intense time, right?
The pandemic does bringback very hard memories of
hardiness and commitment.I was very fortunate that I was allowed to go to work,
right? And, and because of that,
my experience might have been differentthan many others. There was no,
not an hour of remote work. I was here.
(06:30):
I felt I had the chance to help thecommunity. I have two young kids.
And so in the mornings I wastrying to guide them through
the online learning fromthe elementary school.
And then in the afternoon I would cometo the lab, put my lab coat on, and, uh,
and give a little contribution to the,
(06:50):
to the testing and thelateral flow. So like a,
a rapid test that could tell whohad the antibodies for COVID,
so who was exposed to the disease.
And so it was like this sense of purposeand helping the community that helped
me plow through this, uh, exhaustion.
I have to say that for the safetyof the very same community,
(07:13):
it was very good that going home, I hadthe highway for myself. .
Yeah. You didn't have to worryabout traffic and all of that stuff.
I remember that. You actuallyworked to develop the, uh,
global partnership at that time, right?
Between George Mason and the Universityof Padua in Italy. During COVID-19,
(07:35):
you worked closely with the Italianmicrobiologists to help develop the test.
And so how did thisinternational collaboration work and how did it impact the
actual saliva testing apparatusthat we were able to develop here?
Uh, it was extremely helpful, right?
Italy was a bit ahead in the pandemicjust for the geographical reasons.
(07:55):
And it was good. It was a veryproductive exchange of samples of, uh,
epidemiology information on, uh, uh,
patients behavior and giventhe differences in the
environment.
But all this information and thesespecimens and this know-how really help
us speed up the technology, the testing,
(08:17):
and make it a better product.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Has the
collaboration continued?
Is it still ongoing since theCOVID-19 pandemic has formally
ended? Are you stillworking with the same group?
Yes. I am very keen ininternational collaboration,
and the group in Padua isvery dear to, to my heart,
(08:38):
and it's good to keep the relationship,uh, with your old school friends, right?
So with Padua, we continue,
we have a class where we bring Masonstudents to study translational
medicine in Italy. Uh, wecontinue studying tuberculosis.
We study sickle cell diseases,
and we leverage the collaborationwith scientists who have a
(09:02):
global footprint of research operation.
But then with tropical infectious diseasesand tuberculosis and Chagas disease,
the collaboration goes beyond Italy.
And we collaborated withscientists in Nepal and in, uh,
Guinea-Bissau and, andPeru, Bolivia. So...
That's pretty cool. So, so why,
why is it important to havethese global connections?
(09:26):
When you're talking about the developmentof new detection and diagnostic
technologies?
There is a geographic factorthat is very important. So one,
as COVID taught us,
the diseases don't respectborders. Right?.
That's right. Doesn't care aboutboundaries., that is very,
that was very clear.
So being global enabled you to look at
(09:49):
diagnostics from the perspective ofneeds that different countries may have.
That we may not have here and thenyou're able to take those needs and,
and then develop technologies that willalso be useful here in the us. Right.
So last May you got 1.2 millionfederal research dollars
to support Lyme diseasedetection and diagnosis
(10:14):
using urine as a framework, right?
I assume that the work that you had beendeveloping with these global partners
enabled the development of this test,
which we are now using in theUS. Is that, is that accurate?
It's absolutely accurate. Uh, andthat's really the whole, uh, story,
(10:36):
right? We,
we understood what limitations can beoutside the US and then with the lessons
learned, we developed technologyand that didn't require any
infrastructure. And abating costs is good.
And the important thing is thatwe see it maintains accuracy.
So there is complete integration withthe high complexity clinical lab,
(10:59):
but without the need of that cold chain,
very expensive freezersand refrigerators. Um, and,
and in particular this, uh, collaboration,yielded a different technology,
which is a specific urine collectioncup that allows us to stabilize,
um, the molecular contentof urine with no technology,
(11:21):
no laboratory infrastructure,no power, right?
Because a lot of the country we weretried to do research with for many months
a year, they don't havepower. And so this,
this collection cup allowsus to measure accurately
diseases and disease markers withouta lab, without power. And so,
although it was developedfor underserved countries,
(11:43):
this we hope will be somethingthat can be integrated also in the
US uh,
system and with some kind oftelehealth model where there is not
the need for the patient to goto the lab to donate the sample,
but kind of the lab goes to the patientand then is embedded in this telehealth
model. It is just--
(12:04):
So you're able to do all of thisaccurate tests without the significant
infrastructure of a lab.
So I assume that means thatpeople can use it in the home.
The, it, it's a collection that is a home,
a point of need collection and thenis shipped at the room temperature.
Oh, wow.
Where scientists--in the beginning,scientists are working on the test,
(12:25):
and then in the future, yes. Uh,we hope that it will be a home,
from the beginning tothe end home solution.
Okay. I, I hear you. So letme back up for a minute.
For our listeners who areunfamiliar with Lyme disease, uh,
can you explain what it is,
its symptoms and transmissionand why it is so dangerous?
(12:47):
Sure. Lyme disease is a,
an infectious disease that thisis transmitted by the blacklegged
tick, which is the deer tick. We havemany in our backyard in this area,
unfortunately.
Because we got a lot of deer,my goodness, they are everywhere.
And deer are intimately connected to it.
(13:08):
People saw that in islands where thereis no deer, there is no Lyme disease.
Huh! So no tick, no Lyme disease. Sobecause of the involvement of our,
the environment andthe wild animals, a um,
Lyme disease is an interesting diseasealso from the one health perspective.
Right. But, um, anyway,when a tick who has that,
(13:28):
has the bacterium, and it's calledBorrelia burgdorferi, bite us,
then it transmits thebacterium to the host to,
to the human. And then the bacteriumgoes from the skin to the blood,
and unfortunately from the bloodit goes all over the body. And it,
the bacterium likes to hide in organs,
(13:48):
in places like the knees and thejoints, the brain, the heart.
So a minimal thing, like a tick bite,the infectious not treated correctly,
for a small percentage of peoplecan result in heart transplant.
Very debilitating arthritisand, and joint pain,
very difficult mobility, the needfor a lot of joint replacement and,
(14:12):
and brain fog. But to the pointthat is very debilitating.
And when it happens to a youngperson, people have to drop college.
They drop school. When it happensto an adult, they have to drop work.
So it's, um, it's a simple solution.
We just need to know who has it andtreat it. And unfortunately, the--
So, so it is treatableif you catch it, right?
(14:34):
Yes.
So what this test can do is literally be
revolutionary in terms of helping usmanage this disease. Is that accurate?
Well, we certainly hopeso, right. But yes,
the test looks for pieces of thebacterium that are shed in our
bodily fluid. And, and these are piecesthat can come only for these bacteriums,
(14:56):
that, that is, there is nooverlap with the microbiome.
There is no overlap with our molecularcontent, it is just from the bacterium.
And by knowing if we harbor thisinfection early, we can treat it. And,
and the treatment is successful.However, we are also using this, uh,
this test to learn what itis that cause all this, uh,
(15:18):
terrible chronic symptoms. And again,like cancer, like, uh, tuberculosis,
we hope to be able to
identify this pharmacologicaltargets, this,
this future ways of treating,also the long-term consequences.
And yeah, again, Lyme is very similarto long COVID in terms of the damage,
(15:41):
the persisting damage that doesto people. And we have some ideas.
Hmm. That is interesting.
So talk to me a little bitabout how did your work
in cancer detection and theCOVID-19 detection correlate to
discovering a new methodfor Lyme disease detection?
Mm-hmm. Andit's very similar problem.
(16:03):
We are looking for veryrare labile signs, right?
Almost like writing your name onthe sand, and when the wave comes,
this trace is gone. And so equallyfor, uh, for the cancer and,
and for Lyme disease,
we are looking at something veryfragile in the bodily fluid. And,
and the same approach ofcapturing and preserving and
(16:25):
concentrated this, uh, veryfragile biological traces,
has held the same value forcancer and for the Lyme disease.
And so it's like reallyfinding the classic hay, um,
needle in the haystack,
but with the complication that theneedle is being eaten very quickly by
something. Yeah.
(16:46):
So why is early detection important?
Early detection is very important becauseit can result in better outcome for
the patients, their family, um,the healthcare system, right?
And we hope to push it evenfurther to prevention, right? And,
and it's always better to treat a,
a disease at the very beginning wherethe implications are minimal and
(17:09):
the outlook for a therapy is muchbetter. And, and that's true, you know,
for cancer and all the programsfor imaging and screening. And,
and that is true also, um,for the infectious diseases.
So can this work beapplied to other diseases?
I assume that there may be other thingstransmitted through ticks or other types
(17:31):
of diseases in general. Whatelse are you looking at?
Absolutely. One tick cantransmit many, many diseases,
upwards almost 20. Luckily,
they are much less widespread thanLyme disease and any, and in one,
uh, embodiment of the test, we dotest for all the other diseases. And,
and there are names that areless known, probably babesiosis,
(17:54):
Rocky Mountain spotted fever--
That one is actually quite common,right? I I I've heard of that one.
And, and maybe in different areas,right? Not necessarily in the,
in the East coast. And so all of that,
there are terrible viruses that they areencephalitis generating viruses, and,
and they're very, actuallyvery little. So the, so we can,
(18:14):
with the same approach in, inone, uh, very small cup of urine,
identify all of this,
but then it can transcend the ticks andlook for other vector borne diseases:
mosquito borne diseases.
But the reality is that it can be asolution for also other diseases at all.
For example,
we are collaborating for predictinga pain crisis for sickle cell disease
(18:38):
children. And, and so the, the ideabeing that by monitoring the wellness or,
or signs and, and alarmsignals in the body,
we can monitor the wellness and,
and hopefully predict whensomething bad happens.
So what about moving over to theveterinary side of the house?
Are we able to detect diseasesin animals using some of the same
(19:00):
techniques?
Absolutely.
For the fact that we target thebacterium and so the causative agents of
disease, that's exactly thesame. And, and our friends,
our pets also, uh, different animals,
they do harbor the same bacterium.
So it's absolutelytranslatable to animals.
(19:20):
And it's actually is at the heartof how this Lyme test came to be.
And the whole idea camefrom a high school summer
intern who came to work in the labmany years ago, and now she has,
you know, her PhD, and a beautifulfamily. and her name is Temple Douglas.
And Temple wanted to do somethingfor her family that was highly
(19:44):
hit by Lyme disease. Her mom, her sister,
they had terrible time dealing with it.
And so she came in one summer inhigh school, she developed a test,
she published a paper.She was the first author.
Oh, first author!
On the publication. She did it.
Nice.
And, uh, and the first patientwho was published, it was her dog.
patient number one.Outstanding. Outstanding.
(20:08):
So you were honored by the StateCouncil of Higher Education,
which we call here SCHEV, with a2023 outstanding faculty award.
How does your work as aresearcher inform your teaching
philosophy?
Teaching and, and research, I believethey're intimately connected. And,
and to me, it is difficult tothink of one without the other.
(20:31):
And I do love, uh, workingwith students and, and,
and students are kind of the reason Iget out of bed and the way I feel it's
more effective to teach is workingtogether, learning as we do,
learn as we solve an issue,
as we--even put our braintogether to identify
(20:54):
the issue. And, and the, theteaching involves knowledge,
but involves also creativity andresilience and collaboration,
and how to be professional. So it becomeslike a, a different experience. Yeah.
Mm. Understood. Understood. Pre pandemic,
the partnership with the Italianuniversities we spoke about earlier,
included a class on translationalresearch with students from both
(21:18):
George Mason and the University of Padua.
What do students gain from this kindof cross-cultural collaboration in the
classroom and beyond?
Based on the feedback we received,
I think they gather a lotand they were exposed,
or they are exposed to leadingscientists in their field.
(21:38):
And scientists can relay firsthand, um,
their experience with that translationalresearch and how to bring the science
to the patient bedside and the community.
But also there are very interestingand engaging conversation in terms of,
for example, the universalhealthcare system that Italy has and,
(21:59):
and has been going on forever,and the US system, and,
and what is good and what is bad. And,
and there was a great input frompatient advocacy groups and, and,
and voice of people wholive the disease on their
skin and their family members. Andso the, the conversation was, uh,
very sparkly. And of course, the Italians,
(22:22):
they do bring a lot of colorand hand gesture and passion,
but it was also good to have a deepdive in science in the mornings.
And then in the afternoon, uh,student could enjoy art and, and,
and history and cuisine. So,uh, it's a, I believe, a,
a good model to teachand learn and, and, uh,
(22:42):
exchange different visionsand point of views.
In, in terms of our students, what do,
what do you hope they learn from engagingon international collaborators? You,
you know, we, for lack of abetter way of saying this,
the connection between USstudents and foreign students, uh,
it's one of the areas that ischallenged right now in the country.
(23:05):
And I think we are notpaying attention to some of
the real benefits of having peoplefrom all over the globe come to
one place to study and to learn.
If you look at the greatcenters of learning historically have always been like
that, right? You can go back to the,
(23:26):
the education in, in, in theGreeks, and you go, you know,
further into Egypt and into Alexandria.
And these centers oflearning always drew people
from all over. Europe hadthese great institutions,
and during the wholeperiod of enlightenment,
people came from all over the worldto study in the Europe and learn.
(23:51):
And now the US is the place for that.
I just think that in all of the backand forth that we're dealing with now,
there is something fundamental therethat we're missing and you engage in this
kind of work. So talkto me a little about it.
I cannot say enough how importanta global reach for science and
(24:12):
research is. And it'sa matter of knowledge,
it's a matter of exchange of samples,
exchange of technology, uh,understanding different needs,
understanding different realities,and understanding culture,
local culture,
and how that plays intothe overall research
(24:33):
enterprise. And science is a universallanguage, right? And, and, and--
That it is.
And, and we can go everywhere and,
and cancer hits us in the US likeit hits people in, in Italy. And,
and the way we can learn what causes it,
it's deeply embedded inthis constant exchange.
And I hear you very much in Padua, uh,
(24:53):
in Italy is a universitythat was funded in the 1300.
And the motto is knowledge isopen to the universe.
It is the university,
and it's in the world itself. Likeit's a universal, in universe.
And the,
the very nature of thework we do is global and
(25:18):
needs to, to be global, toflourish and move forward.
Well, we're gonna have toleave it there. Alessandra,
thank you for your continued work indisease detection so that we can all live
healthier, happier lives. And I really,
really appreciate the work you're doingand the impact that it's having on the
(25:38):
planet.
Thank you very much, PresidentWashington. It was a pleasure.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Oh, outstanding. I am George MasonPresident Gregory Washington.
Thanks for listening.
And tune in next time for moreconversations that show why
we are all together different.
(25:59):
If you like what youheard on this podcast,
go to podcast.gmu.edu formore of Gregory Washington's
conversations with thethought leaders, experts,
and educators who take on the grandchallenges facing our students, graduates,
and higher education.That's podcast.gmu.edu.
Trailblazers in researchinnovators, in technology,
and those who simply have a good story:
all make up the fabric thatis George Mason University,
where taking on the grand challengesthat face our students, graduates,
and higher education is ourmission and our passion.
Hosted by Mason PresidentGregory Washington,
this is the Access to Excellence podcast.
(00:27):
It wasn't long ago that we were allregulars at the Fenwick COVID-19
testing site, participatingin saliva-based COVID-19 test,
actually developed byGeorge Mason researchers.
And now with innovationcomes further questions.
What else can we detect and diagnose now?
Alessandra Luchini is a professorin the School of Systems
(00:51):
Biology in the College of Science.
Her research focuses on developingtechnologies that improve current
diagnostics and therapeutics for diseases,
including cancer and inflammatoryand infectious disease.
Alessandra, welcome to the show.
Thank you very much for having me.
(01:12):
Your Mason journey began in2005 when you came here from
Italy on a research fellowshipto do cancer research,
but your training is in engineering.
So what led you to thefield of diagnostic testing?
I love, uh, the diagnostic challenge, uh,
to me is like solving a puzzle,
(01:35):
piecing together differentclues to try and solve
the final mystery (01:40):
who done it, right? What,
what is it that causes this ailment,this illness, uh, this terrible, uh,
symptoms in the diagnostic journey.
I hope to learn something that, uh,explains how the disease develops.
Ah, diagnostics and, andnew research in it is at,
(02:00):
in the intersection betweenscience, innovation, patient care.
So 20 years in it.
I find it very rewarding to be able todo a research that has very concrete,
practical impact in the life of people.
You know, you came to the US to doresearch. What were your thoughts?
What made you move?
(02:20):
Right, I was chasing thedream! I, I had a plan. I,
I wanted to come here, stay sixmonths, solve the sole cancer issue,
um, make my parents proud and come back.
And what I realized when I cameto Mason is that the tools and the
technical aspects of the researchwere not completely figured out.
(02:43):
And as humbling as it was, I foundit to be an excellent challenge.
And having an engineering background,
I'm kind of wired of finding aproblem, try to identify a solution,
and, and I really embracethis, this new challenge.
And I found an excellentenvironment with my directors,
doctors Liotta and Petricoin,that foster creativity and,
(03:08):
and finding new solutions. And great, uh,
in involvement and synergy from thelocal biotech companies, students,
different scientists,international collaboration. So,
I loved it.
So you came in, you had aproject, that's what got you here.
There was some set of outcomesthat you were hoping to achieve.
(03:30):
Mm-hmm
What were you hoping for?
What kind of outcomes did you think youwould get with the cancer diagnostic
research that you started,uh, when you came here?
Absolutely. So the, the, the goal and,
and the reason why Italy sent me out here,
and the reason why I was collaboratingwith all the C-A-P-M-M scientists was
to develop a test,
a blood-based test or somethingthat is really non-invasive,
(03:54):
that could tell us whowas going to get cancer.
And so this was a cancerrisk kind of test.
So we could identify people very earlybefore they had any clinical signs
and implications. And as, uh,
the name of the center says wewere focusing on proteomics,
and this is kind of aphenotypical way of looking, um,
(04:17):
at the patient's molecular information.
And it is a little bit ofthe difference between a, uh,
let's say a football playbook and,and the football players right?
Looking at, at proteins. Theseare the guys who do things,
who carry the actions. Andthat's what we were looking, and,
and by looking at all the complementof these players and, and you know,
(04:38):
when they go wrong, thenthe health goes very wrong.
We hope to understand thecancer development and
pathogenesis, so to,
for those protein targets tobe the drugs of the future.
Understood. Understood.
Were you able to develop any newtechnologies during that time?
Sure. Right. Where there is the need,there is an incentive to find a,
(05:03):
a novel technology. And itwas a very good collaboration.
And the Mason scientists were verygood at collaborating with the biotech
enterprises, uh, aroundlocally and nationally.
And so many technologies were developed.
My focus was on a specificway, or nanotechnology,
a specific way to capture theproteins and the targets we
(05:27):
were interested in whileisolating the noise.
And so in a way,
we were stabilizing and amplifyingthe signal by blocking the
background.
Wow. I see.
And so this technology thenwas licensed by a company,
and it was kind of very nice way togive back to the biotech community
(05:47):
that sparked thiscollaboration in the beginning.
As a member of the George MasonCenter for Applied Proteomics and
Molecular Medicine,
you supported the work on developingGeorge Mason's novel saliva testing
for COVID-19.
What was it like being a researcherduring those early months of the COVID-19
(06:09):
pandemic?
It was a very intense time, right?
The pandemic does bringback very hard memories of
hardiness and commitment.I was very fortunate that I was allowed to go to work,
right? And, and because of that,
my experience might have been differentthan many others. There was no,
not an hour of remote work. I was here.
(06:30):
I felt I had the chance to help thecommunity. I have two young kids.
And so in the mornings I wastrying to guide them through
the online learning fromthe elementary school.
And then in the afternoon I would cometo the lab, put my lab coat on, and, uh,
and give a little contribution to the,
(06:50):
to the testing and thelateral flow. So like a,
a rapid test that could tell whohad the antibodies for COVID,
so who was exposed to the disease.
And so it was like this sense of purposeand helping the community that helped
me plow through this, uh, exhaustion.
I have to say that for the safetyof the very same community,
(07:13):
it was very good that going home, I hadthe highway for myself.
Yeah. You didn't have to worryabout traffic and all of that stuff.
I remember that. You actuallyworked to develop the, uh,
global partnership at that time, right?
Between George Mason and the Universityof Padua in Italy. During COVID-19,
(07:35):
you worked closely with the Italianmicrobiologists to help develop the test.
And so how did thisinternational collaboration work and how did it impact the
actual saliva testing apparatusthat we were able to develop here?
Uh, it was extremely helpful, right?
Italy was a bit ahead in the pandemicjust for the geographical reasons.
(07:55):
And it was good. It was a veryproductive exchange of samples of, uh,
epidemiology information on, uh, uh,
patients behavior and giventhe differences in the
environment.
But all this information and thesespecimens and this know-how really help
us speed up the technology, the testing,
(08:17):
and make it a better product.
Mm-hmm
Is it still ongoing since theCOVID-19 pandemic has formally
ended? Are you stillworking with the same group?
Yes. I am very keen ininternational collaboration,
and the group in Padua isvery dear to, to my heart,
(08:38):
and it's good to keep the relationship,uh, with your old school friends, right?
So with Padua, we continue,
we have a class where we bring Masonstudents to study translational
medicine in Italy. Uh, wecontinue studying tuberculosis.
We study sickle cell diseases,
and we leverage the collaborationwith scientists who have a
(09:02):
global footprint of research operation.
But then with tropical infectious diseasesand tuberculosis and Chagas disease,
the collaboration goes beyond Italy.
And we collaborated withscientists in Nepal and in, uh,
Guinea-Bissau and, andPeru, Bolivia. So...
That's pretty cool. So, so why,
why is it important to havethese global connections?
(09:26):
When you're talking about the developmentof new detection and diagnostic
technologies?
There is a geographic factorthat is very important. So one,
as COVID taught us,
the diseases don't respectborders. Right?
That's right. Doesn't care aboutboundaries.
that was very clear.
So being global enabled you to look at
(09:49):
diagnostics from the perspective ofneeds that different countries may have.
That we may not have here and thenyou're able to take those needs and,
and then develop technologies that willalso be useful here in the us. Right.
So last May you got 1.2 millionfederal research dollars
to support Lyme diseasedetection and diagnosis
(10:14):
using urine as a framework, right?
I assume that the work that you had beendeveloping with these global partners
enabled the development of this test,
which we are now using in theUS. Is that, is that accurate?
It's absolutely accurate. Uh, andthat's really the whole, uh, story,
(10:36):
right? We,
we understood what limitations can beoutside the US and then with the lessons
learned, we developed technologyand that didn't require any
infrastructure. And abating costs is good.
And the important thing is thatwe see it maintains accuracy.
So there is complete integration withthe high complexity clinical lab,
(10:59):
but without the need of that cold chain,
very expensive freezersand refrigerators. Um, and,
and in particular this, uh, collaboration,yielded a different technology,
which is a specific urine collectioncup that allows us to stabilize,
um, the molecular contentof urine with no technology,
(11:21):
no laboratory infrastructure,no power, right?
Because a lot of the country we weretried to do research with for many months
a year, they don't havepower. And so this,
this collection cup allowsus to measure accurately
diseases and disease markers withouta lab, without power. And so,
although it was developedfor underserved countries,
(11:43):
this we hope will be somethingthat can be integrated also in the
US uh,
system and with some kind oftelehealth model where there is not
the need for the patient to goto the lab to donate the sample,
but kind of the lab goes to the patientand then is embedded in this telehealth
model. It is just--
(12:04):
So you're able to do all of thisaccurate tests without the significant
infrastructure of a lab.
So I assume that means thatpeople can use it in the home.
The, it, it's a collection that is a home,
a point of need collection and thenis shipped at the room temperature.
Oh, wow.
Where scientists--in the beginning,scientists are working on the test,
(12:25):
and then in the future, yes. Uh,we hope that it will be a home,
from the beginning tothe end home solution.
Okay. I, I hear you. So letme back up for a minute.
For our listeners who areunfamiliar with Lyme disease, uh,
can you explain what it is,
its symptoms and transmissionand why it is so dangerous?
(12:47):
Sure. Lyme disease is a,
an infectious disease that thisis transmitted by the blacklegged
tick, which is the deer tick. We havemany in our backyard in this area,
unfortunately.
Because we got a lot of deer
And deer are intimately connected to it.
(13:08):
People saw that in islands where thereis no deer, there is no Lyme disease.
Huh! So no tick, no Lyme disease. Sobecause of the involvement of our,
the environment andthe wild animals, a um,
Lyme disease is an interesting diseasealso from the one health perspective.
Right. But, um, anyway,when a tick who has that,
(13:28):
has the bacterium, and it's calledBorrelia burgdorferi, bite us,
then it transmits thebacterium to the host to,
to the human. And then the bacteriumgoes from the skin to the blood,
and unfortunately from the bloodit goes all over the body. And it,
the bacterium likes to hide in organs,
(13:48):
in places like the knees and thejoints, the brain, the heart.
So a minimal thing, like a tick bite,the infectious not treated correctly,
for a small percentage of peoplecan result in heart transplant.
Very debilitating arthritisand, and joint pain,
very difficult mobility, the needfor a lot of joint replacement and,
(14:12):
and brain fog. But to the pointthat is very debilitating.
And when it happens to a youngperson, people have to drop college.
They drop school. When it happensto an adult, they have to drop work.
So it's, um, it's a simple solution.
We just need to know who has it andtreat it. And unfortunately, the--
So, so it is treatableif you catch it, right?
(14:34):
Yes.
So what this test can do is literally be
revolutionary in terms of helping usmanage this disease. Is that accurate?
Well, we certainly hopeso, right
the test looks for pieces of thebacterium that are shed in our
bodily fluid. And, and these are piecesthat can come only for these bacteriums,
(14:56):
that, that is, there is nooverlap with the microbiome.
There is no overlap with our molecularcontent, it is just from the bacterium.
And by knowing if we harbor thisinfection early, we can treat it. And,
and the treatment is successful.However, we are also using this, uh,
this test to learn what itis that cause all this, uh,
(15:18):
terrible chronic symptoms. And again,like cancer, like, uh, tuberculosis,
we hope to be able to
identify this pharmacologicaltargets, this,
this future ways of treating,also the long-term consequences.
And yeah, again, Lyme is very similarto long COVID in terms of the damage,
(15:41):
the persisting damage that doesto people. And we have some ideas.
Hmm. That is interesting.
So talk to me a little bitabout how did your work
in cancer detection and theCOVID-19 detection correlate to
discovering a new methodfor Lyme disease detection?
Mm-hmm
(16:03):
We are looking for veryrare labile signs, right?
Almost like writing your name onthe sand, and when the wave comes,
this trace is gone. And so equallyfor, uh, for the cancer and,
and for Lyme disease,
we are looking at something veryfragile in the bodily fluid. And,
and the same approach ofcapturing and preserving and
(16:25):
concentrated this, uh, veryfragile biological traces,
has held the same value forcancer and for the Lyme disease.
And so it's like reallyfinding the classic hay, um,
needle in the haystack,
but with the complication that theneedle is being eaten very quickly by
something. Yeah.
(16:46):
So why is early detection important?
Early detection is very important becauseit can result in better outcome for
the patients, their family, um,the healthcare system, right?
And we hope to push it evenfurther to prevention, right? And,
and it's always better to treat a,
a disease at the very beginning wherethe implications are minimal and
(17:09):
the outlook for a therapy is muchbetter. And, and that's true, you know,
for cancer and all the programsfor imaging and screening. And,
and that is true also, um,for the infectious diseases.
So can this work beapplied to other diseases?
I assume that there may be other thingstransmitted through ticks or other types
(17:31):
of diseases in general. Whatelse are you looking at?
Absolutely. One tick cantransmit many, many diseases,
upwards almost 20. Luckily,
they are much less widespread thanLyme disease and any, and in one,
uh, embodiment of the test, we dotest for all the other diseases. And,
and there are names that areless known, probably babesiosis,
(17:54):
Rocky Mountain spotted fever--
That one is actually quite common,right? I I I've heard of that one.
And, and maybe in different areas,right? Not necessarily in the,
in the East coast. And so all of that,
there are terrible viruses that they areencephalitis generating viruses, and,
and they're very, actuallyvery little. So the, so we can,
(18:14):
with the same approach in, inone, uh, very small cup of urine,
identify all of this,
but then it can transcend the ticks andlook for other vector borne diseases:
mosquito borne diseases.
But the reality is that it can be asolution for also other diseases at all.
For example,
we are collaborating for predictinga pain crisis for sickle cell disease
(18:38):
children. And, and so the, the ideabeing that by monitoring the wellness or,
or signs and, and alarmsignals in the body,
we can monitor the wellness and,
and hopefully predict whensomething bad happens.
So what about moving over to theveterinary side of the house?
Are we able to detect diseasesin animals using some of the same
(19:00):
techniques?
Absolutely.
For the fact that we target thebacterium and so the causative agents of
disease, that's exactly thesame. And, and our friends,
our pets also, uh, different animals,
they do harbor the same bacterium.
So it's absolutelytranslatable to animals.
(19:20):
And it's actually is at the heartof how this Lyme test came to be.
And the whole idea camefrom a high school summer
intern who came to work in the labmany years ago, and now she has,
you know, her PhD, and a beautifulfamily. and her name is Temple Douglas.
And Temple wanted to do somethingfor her family that was highly
(19:44):
hit by Lyme disease. Her mom, her sister,
they had terrible time dealing with it.
And so she came in one summer inhigh school, she developed a test,
she published a paper.She was the first author.
Oh, first author!
On the publication. She did it.
Nice.
And, uh, and the first patientwho was published, it was her dog.
(20:08):
So you were honored by the StateCouncil of Higher Education,
which we call here SCHEV, with a2023 outstanding faculty award.
How does your work as aresearcher inform your teaching
philosophy?
Teaching and, and research, I believethey're intimately connected. And,
and to me, it is difficult tothink of one without the other.
(20:31):
And I do love, uh, workingwith students and, and,
and students are kind of the reason Iget out of bed and the way I feel it's
more effective to teach is workingtogether, learning as we do,
learn as we solve an issue,
as we--even put our braintogether to identify
(20:54):
the issue. And, and the, theteaching involves knowledge,
but involves also creativity andresilience and collaboration,
and how to be professional. So it becomeslike a, a different experience. Yeah.
Mm. Understood. Understood. Pre pandemic,
the partnership with the Italianuniversities we spoke about earlier,
included a class on translationalresearch with students from both
(21:18):
George Mason and the University of Padua.
What do students gain from this kindof cross-cultural collaboration in the
classroom and beyond?
Based on the feedback we received,
I think they gather a lotand they were exposed,
or they are exposed to leadingscientists in their field.
(21:38):
And scientists can relay firsthand, um,
their experience with that translationalresearch and how to bring the science
to the patient bedside and the community.
But also there are very interestingand engaging conversation in terms of,
for example, the universalhealthcare system that Italy has and,
(21:59):
and has been going on forever,and the US system, and,
and what is good and what is bad. And,
and there was a great input frompatient advocacy groups and, and,
and voice of people wholive the disease on their
skin and their family members. Andso the, the conversation was, uh,
very sparkly. And of course, the Italians,
(22:22):
they do bring a lot of colorand hand gesture and passion,
but it was also good to have a deepdive in science in the mornings.
And then in the afternoon, uh,student could enjoy art and, and,
and history and cuisine. So,uh, it's a, I believe, a,
a good model to teachand learn and, and, uh,
(22:42):
exchange different visionsand point of views.
In, in terms of our students, what do,
what do you hope they learn from engagingon international collaborators? You,
you know, we, for lack of abetter way of saying this,
the connection between USstudents and foreign students, uh,
it's one of the areas that ischallenged right now in the country.
(23:05):
And I think we are notpaying attention to some of
the real benefits of having peoplefrom all over the globe come to
one place to study and to learn.
If you look at the greatcenters of learning historically have always been like
that, right? You can go back to the,
(23:26):
the education in, in, in theGreeks, and you go, you know,
further into Egypt and into Alexandria.
And these centers oflearning always drew people
from all over. Europe hadthese great institutions,
and during the wholeperiod of enlightenment,
people came from all over the worldto study in the Europe and learn.
(23:51):
And now the US is the place for that.
I just think that in all of the backand forth that we're dealing with now,
there is something fundamental therethat we're missing and you engage in this
kind of work. So talkto me a little about it.
I cannot say enough how importanta global reach for science and
(24:12):
research is. And it'sa matter of knowledge,
it's a matter of exchange of samples,
exchange of technology, uh,understanding different needs,
understanding different realities,and understanding culture,
local culture,
and how that plays intothe overall research
(24:33):
enterprise. And science is a universallanguage, right? And, and, and--
That it is.
And, and we can go everywhere and,
and cancer hits us in the US likeit hits people in, in Italy. And,
and the way we can learn what causes it,
it's deeply embedded inthis constant exchange.
And I hear you very much in Padua, uh,
(24:53):
in Italy is a universitythat was funded in the 1300.
And the motto is knowledge isopen to the universe.
It is the university,
and it's in the world itself. Likeit's a universal, in universe.
And the,
the very nature of thework we do is global and
(25:18):
needs to, to be global, toflourish and move forward.
Well, we're gonna have toleave it there. Alessandra,
thank you for your continued work indisease detection so that we can all live
healthier, happier lives. And I really,
really appreciate the work you're doingand the impact that it's having on the
(25:38):
planet.
Thank you very much, PresidentWashington. It was a pleasure.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Oh, outstanding. I am George MasonPresident Gregory Washington.
Thanks for listening.
And tune in next time for moreconversations that show why
we are all together different.
(25:59):
If you like what youheard on this podcast,
go to podcast.gmu.edu formore of Gregory Washington's
conversations with thethought leaders, experts,
and educators who take on the grandchallenges facing our students, graduates,
and higher education.That's podcast.gmu.edu.
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