Our Mission as a Nonprofit
Our goals
We aim to stop Lyme disease where it starts: in white-footed mice, a key reservoir of infection. By developing mice with heritable immunity, we work to break the transmission cycle before ticks can infect humans, with an approach grounded in ecological respect, safety, and lasting impact. The underlying technology is a groundbreaking tool for fighting reservoir-borne diseases and could be adapted to address challenges like hantavirus, arenavirus, and leptospirosis.
Breaking the cycle
This project began with residents of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard seeking solutions to a growing public health crisis. We continue to work hand-in-hand with communities to ensure that every step—from research to release—is shaped by local guidance, community governance, and transparency. All research efforts will be openly published, including data from future field trials, so others can build on our work to advance community-driven public health solutions.
Empowering communities
Mice Against Ticks is not just a research effort—it’s a model for using biotechnology responsibly for the public good. We fund innovation across institutions including MIT, Dana-Farber, Tufts, and Duke to keep this work at the forefront of science. Together, we’re turning bold ideas into real-world solutions to protect future generations from tick-borne illness while pioneering a new model for preventing reservoir-borne diseases.
Making a change
How it all started
Mice Against Ticks began as a collaboration between scientists and the communities of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, where Lyme disease had become an urgent public health issue. Researchers from the MIT Media Lab’s Sculpting Evolution Group initiated the project, engaging local residents early on to explore bold, community-guided solutions. With early leadership from Dr. Howard Dickler — a Nantucket resident, physician and former NIH researcher and administrator — the initiative quickly grew into a broader partnership grounded in public trust, transparency, and rigorous science. Together, researchers and community members laid the foundation for a new approach: engineering white-footed mice with heritable resistance to Lyme disease. From the outset, the project has prioritized local input, ecological responsibility, and long-term impact.