A team of students at Lambert High School in suburban Atlanta used CRISPR-based methods to develop a prototype that could detect Lyme disease far earlier than current tests. Their project, created for the international iGEM synthetic biology competition in Paris, produced promising laboratory results that scientists say warrant further study.
Led by captains Sean Lee and Avani Karthik, the mostly student-run team applies engineering, genetics and computation to real-world problems. They focused on Lyme disease, which affects nearly half a million Americans annually and is difficult to confirm during the first two weeks when antibiotic treatment is most effective. Untreated Lyme can lead to arthritis, nerve damage and cardiac issues, and delayed diagnosis is a common problem.
The students designed an approach that targets a protein produced during early infection. Using CRISPR tools in the lab, they removed extraneous genetic material from simulated blood serum to expose that target protein, then envisioned a simple kit-style readout—akin to common rapid tests—for a clear visual signal. Separately, they explored a different CRISPR strategy to inhibit the causative bacteria as a possible complement or alternative to antibiotics.
Their biotechnology teacher, Kate Sharer, described the work as high risk and high reward and initially doubted it would succeed, but supported the students as they solicited feedback from university researchers and other advisors. Many outside experts were skeptical at first given the project’s ambition and the limits of a high school setting.
Lambert’s lab is well resourced: a college-level facility funded by Forsyth County and private donors. The school’s competitive iGEM program draws roughly 100 applicants for about 10 team spots each year. This year’s team was entirely Asian American and largely composed of children of immigrants; some families move into the district to access programs like iGEM.
After months of experiments, the students reported in September that their method detected signs of infection in simulated serum as early as two days after exposure — far earlier than standard tests that generally require about two weeks to show reliably. Those results are proof of concept using simulated material; extensive validation with human blood and clinical samples would be required before any real-world diagnostic could be developed or approved.
At iGEM in Paris, the Lambert team joined more than 400 teams from around the world presenting projects that ranged from enzymes to crops for extreme environments. Lambert did not take the grand prize, which went to a team from Great Bay in Shenzhen, China, but they won iGEM’s best software tool award and placed in the high school top 10, the only American team in that group.
Advocates say programs like Lambert’s are essential to building domestic leadership in biotechnology. Janet Standeven, who helped create Lambert’s program and runs iGEM’s international high school division, has pushed to expand synthetic biology education across Georgia. She said federal funding intended to support that expansion was cut earlier this year after being labeled as diversity, equity and inclusion spending; a judge temporarily restored the money but its status beyond May 2026 remains uncertain. Stanford professor and iGEM co-founder Drew Endy praised the Lambert project in Paris and warned that U.S. leadership in synthetic biology faces competition from countries that are prioritizing the field.
The students’ work is an encouraging proof of concept: CRISPR-based diagnostics may be able to detect Lyme infection earlier than current methods, and the team outlined a pathway toward a low-cost test. But the results are preliminary, based on simulated serum, and significant further testing, validation on human samples, and development would be needed before a clinically usable product could emerge.