Rapid Lyme disease test could be available by late 2020

ITHACA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A new rapid Lyme disease detection test, created by Ionica Sciences at Cornell’s McGovern Center Life Sciences Incubator, could be available by late 2020.

If a patient’s skin shows that telltale bullseye rash, the body’s response to Lyme has started, but confirmation of the disease can take weeks since the body’s immune system usually has not reached detectable levels yet.

Ionica’s co-founder and CEO, Dr. Omar Green, explains that once you’re exposed to Lyme, the antibodies can be present for decades and once you are positive, it’s nearly impossible to determine if you were infected last week, last month, last year or decades ago.

The test will differentiate a fresh infection from an old one, something not currently available.