By Katarina A. Lewczyk | Date published: October 1, 2025
Mark Klempner Discusses Licensing of Monoclonal Antibody for Seasonal Prevention of Lyme Disease with UMass Chan News
In a recent article in UMass Chan news, Mark Klempner, MD, professor of medicine, shared that UMass Chan has licensed worldwide rights to a long-lasting human monoclonal antibody, designated TNX-4800, that prevents Lyme disease to Chatham, N.J.-based Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. According to Dr. Klempner, the leader of the research team that discovered and developed the preventive medicine, TNX-4800 is a fully human monoclonal antibody with an engineered extended half-life that targets the outer-surface protein A (OspA) on the Lyme-causing Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. By binding OspA, TNX-4800 blocks the maturation of Borrelia burgdorferi in the mid-gut of infected deer ticks. This inactivates the bacteria in the tick before it ever reaches the skin at the site of the tick bite.
“Preventing Lyme disease is an urgent public health priority, and more than 30 years of clinical experience confirms that monoclonal antibodies can be delivered safely and are effective in preventing infections,” said Dr. Klempner.