GALAXY DIAGNOSTICS AND VIRGINIA TECH PARTNER TO ADVANCE NEXT-GENERATION OF LYME DISEASE TESTING
January 26th, 2026
Update, August 2026: Galaxy Diagnostics is deeply saddened by the passing of Dr. Brandon L. Jutras. We are grateful for his extraordinary scientific contributions and the opportunity to collaborate with him. His pioneering work in Borrelia peptidoglycan research remains foundational to the diagnostic innovation described in this announcement.
Exclusive Licensing Agreement Brings Dr. Brandon Jutras’s Ground-breaking Peptidoglycan Antigen Detection Technology into Galaxy’s Diagnostic Pipeline
DURHAM, NC., January 26th, 2026 – Galaxy Diagnostics, a leader in advanced Lyme and other vector-borne disease testing, has announced a technology licensing agreement with Virginia Tech to bring Dr. Brandon Jutras’ groundbreaking work on Borrelia peptidoglycan into the Galaxy Diagnostics portfolio. The partnership represents a major milestone in Galaxy’s innovation pipeline – helping bridge the gap between academic discovery and real-world diagnostic access for patients and clinicians.
Accurate testing for Lyme disease remains one of the biggest barriers to timely care. The current standard two-tier testing algorithm may miss up to 60% of early-stage Lyme disease, when diagnosis and treatment are most critical. While innovation in tick-borne diagnostics has advanced, many breakthrough approaches remain confined to research settings – creating a gap between discovery and patient access. Galaxy Diagnostics is advancing a new approach focused on direct detection, including pathogen-derived targets that may support clearer answers and faster clinical decision-making.
“Over more than 25 years of bringing new technologies to market, I’ve learned one lesson repeatedly: silos kill innovation,” said Nicole Danielle Bell, CEO of Galaxy Diagnostics. “That’s why we’re proud to join forces with Dr. Brandon Jutras through an exclusive license agreement with Virginia Tech. Together, we aim to advance this work toward FDA submission and help make earlier, more reliable Lyme and vector-borne disease detection accessible to patients.”
Dr. Jutras discovered that the peptidoglycan – a key structural component of the bacterial cell wall – in Borrelia contains unique chemical modifications that distinguish it from that of other bacteria. Building on this, his team’s work has demonstrated that Borrelia releases peptidoglycan fragments during growth and division – fragments that may circulate and be detected in urine, creating a complement to Galaxy’s existing work in noninvasive Lyme antigen detection.
Both Galaxy Diagnostics and the late Dr. Brandon Jutras participated in the LymeX Diagnostic Prize initiative, a national effort created to accelerate novel Lyme diagnostics on a path toward FDA review and approval. The collaboration between Galaxy and Virginia Tech reflected a shared commitment to advancing scientific innovation centered on the needs of patients and clinicians.
The Virginia Tech agreement builds on Galaxy’s model of partnering with leading universities to translate breakthrough science into clinically meaningful diagnostics. Galaxy has previously collaborated with NC State, and this new partnership further strengthens Galaxy’s position as a trusted commercialization partner for bringing next-generation tick-borne disease innovations from the lab to real-world patient care.
“For years, our work has lived primarily in an academic research setting, where we’ve generated a strong body of evidence validating our approach,” said Dr. Brandon Jutras. “This partnership with Galaxy Diagnostics helps move those basic science discoveries beyond the bench and toward real-world diagnostic tools that can meaningfully impact patient care.”
At the time of the agreement, Galaxy and Dr. Jutras planned to collaborate on clinical sample evaluation and the scientific validation required to support future assay development and potential regulatory pathways.
“The tide is turning,” Bell added. “At Galaxy Diagnostics, our goal is to set a new standard for how vector-borne diagnostics move from discovery into diagnostics that clinicians can adopt and patients can access.”
About Galaxy Diagnostics
Galaxy Diagnostics is dedicated to advancing diagnostics for tick-borne diseases through rigorous science and clinically meaningful innovation. Galaxy’s testing solutions aim to help clinicians and patients move beyond uncertainty by improving detection strategies for Lyme disease and associated infections.
