Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is establishing a tick research facility to advance studies of tick biology, disease transmission, and control. The facility will support researchers across the University and beyond by providing high-quality live ticks at multiple life stages for scientific study.
Why It Matters
Ticks are an increasing threat to people, animals, and agriculture. While Lyme disease remains a major concern in Pennsylvania for people, horses, and dogs, other public health and food security threats are also growing, including anaplasmosis, babesiosis, alpha-gal syndrome, and livestock diseases such as bovine theileriosis. As tick species and tick-borne pathogens continue to emerge and spread, researchers need reliable access to research-quality ticks. That access is essential for understanding these threats and developing better tools to prevent and control them.
What the Facility Will Do
The new facility will maintain multiple tick species of regional and global importance, including the northern clade of Ixodes scapularis, the primary vector of Lyme disease in the region. By providing dependable, high-quality ticks for research, the facility will help enable studies of tick biology, immunity, host-pathogen interactions, and control strategies.
The facility is designed to support Penn State researchers first and foremost, while also creating future opportunities to provide live ticks to external academic and industry partners.
Why Penn State
Penn State is uniquely positioned to lead this effort. The University has established expertise in vector-borne disease, entomology, chemical ecology, and arthropod husbandry, along with the animal care infrastructure needed to support tick feeding throughout their life cycle. Through the Animal Resource Program, Penn State also offers specialized veterinary oversight and facilities that strengthen the reliability and quality of this work.
This combination of scientific expertise and institutional support gives Penn State a distinct advantage in building a facility that can meet the needs of a growing research community.
Research and Impact
The facility will strengthen research on tick ecology, evolution, immunity, and pathogen transmission while expanding opportunities for collaboration across disciplines. It will also support student training, faculty recruitment, and external partnerships, positioning Penn State as a regional and national leader in tick research infrastructure.
Over time, the facility is expected to expand capacity to support Penn State laboratories and external customers, helping meet rising demand for live ticks for research and advancing work that has direct relevance to public health, animal health, and agriculture.
Looking Ahead
Penn State’s tick research facility will serve as an important resource for the study of one of the most pressing vector-borne disease challenges of our time. By building the infrastructure needed to support high-quality tick research, Penn State is helping create the foundation for new discoveries, stronger collaborations, and more effective solutions.
