Genetically engineered mice could take the bite out of Lyme disease on Nantucket, scientists say

Over the past 40 years, Dr. Timothy Lepore has been the emergency room head, sole surgeon and medical examiner on Nantucket, a small island off Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Today he runs the only private practice, where he treats dozens of patients with Lyme disease each year. About 15% of residents on the island have been afflicted with the disease, which can cause a wide range of symptoms like a fever, rash, facial paralysis, an irregular heartbeat and arthritis.

Lepore, 80, may finally be able to retire if a team of scientists' dream to curb the transmission of Lyme disease on the island becomes a reality. The scientists' target is not the deer or ticks often associated with the disease: it's wild mice, the main host of Lyme bacteria. The hope is that by genetically engineering mice to b