WASHINGTON – The Maine Medical Center Research Institute will receive a $110,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for research on Lyme disease in Maine and the United States, according to U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

“This funding will help the Maine Medical Center Research Institute continue to investigate the effects of Lyme disease and educate residents throughout the state on steps to prevent infection,” Snowe and Collins said in a joint statement.

“With more than a decade of experience in understanding the nature and causes of Lyme disease, Maine Medical Center researchers are at the forefront of medical research efforts to offer a lasting cure to this illness. As Lyme disease-spreading ticks become more common in Maine, this research will help in identifying appropriate treatment for this potentially life-threatening disease.”

The Lyme Disease Research Group at MMCRI has conducted ongoing field studies, epidemiological surveys and a vaccine trial to help track the spread of the disease in Maine. The project is working to better understand the expanding distribution of the Lyme disease vector tick in Maine, and the environmental factors that influence its spread. Using this information, MMCRI researchers will explore methods of controlling the tick in nature, with the goal of demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of a new Lyme vaccine. The MMCRI has been conducting its work on Lyme disease since 1988.