Our Mission
Our mission at TBP Diagnostics is to provide rapid, actionable information about the infection status of ticks to improve treatment solutions through at home testing. This will allow us to speed up the time to diagnosis, reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, and aid in global disease surveillance.
Committed to Innovation
We are driven by the belief that everyone deserves access to advanced diagnostic solutions that improve outcomes and enhance quality of life. With our At-Home Rapid Antigen Test for testing ticks for Lyme Disease and commitment to innovation, we are leading the charge in revolutionizing the diagnosis and prevention of tick-borne illnesses.
Our primary focus is to pioneer innovative solutions for the early detection and prevention of vector-borne diseases. TBP Diagnostics is developing a suite of diagnostic tools, commercial reagents, and therapeutic solutions to address underserved and neglected public health problems caused by vector-borne pathogens causing Lyme Disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
Together, let’s take the ‘bite’ out of tick bites, one test at a time.
Student Workers
Shea Solomon
Honors Student, allied health sciences
Juliana Vanyi
honors student, allied health sciences
Student Workers (not pictured)
- Lea El-Achkar, PharmD
- Fiona Rochford, Pathobiology
- Katherine Kuhl, Allied Health Sciences (Honors)
- Tomas Verardi, Engineering
Business Advisors
Kevin Bouley
President & CEO Nerac Inc.
Ashley Kalinauskas
CEO Torigen Pharmaceuticals
John Kallassy
CEO Bactana Inc.
Scientific Advisors
- Justin Radolf, MD
Professor of Medicine, UCONN Health Pediatrics, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Genetics and Genome Sciences, and Immunology
- Dr. Melissa Calmano, Ph. D.
Associate Professor – UCONN Health Center, Departments of Medicine, Pediatrics, and Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Spirochete Research Labs, Farmington, CT
- Thanh Duc Nguyen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor – Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, UCONN, Storrs
Investment opportunities to be at the forefront
TBP Diagnostics has the only instant-result, retail oriented tick testing kit on the market. Our approach to Lyme Disease prevention through our partnership with STM Microneedles and Therapeutic Bandage Products to develop bio-active microneedle bandages for tick bites is revolutionary. Take the opportunity to be at the forefront of change.
Our Crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter
Convenient. Low Cost. Easy to use. Our products have the potential to help prevent Lyme Disease throughout the U.S. Your support through our Kickstarter can help us achieve our goals.
Lawrence K. Silbart, MPH, Ph.D.
Founder & CSO
Lawrence K. Silbart, MPH, Ph.D., is trained in toxicology and immunology. Dr. Silbart retired following a 31- year career as a professor at UConn. He has 34 years of experience in mucosal vaccine development, adjuvants, and inflammatory conditions stemming from asthma or pathogen exposure. His recent work focuses on early inflammatory changes driven by immune dysregulation, including the influx of inflammatory cells following infection. He spun TBP out of the University of Connecticut in 2018, but the company remained largely inactive until 2020.
Lorraine Burdick, Ph.D., MBA
Head of Business Development and Strategy
Lorraine (Lori) Burdick, Ph.D., MBA has expertise in Life Science Business Development, Strategic Planning, Intellectual Property, and Technology Commercialization. She holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and MBA with a minor in Finance & Entrepreneurship from the University of Connecticut. Lori leverages her passion for problem solving and ideation to deliver in depth technology and product-market research, develop defensive/offensive IP strategies, and help stream-line business operations. She has experience with strategic planning in various phases of business and product development, including product design, R&D, and manufacturing. Working for biotech start-ups, Lori has become proficient in identifying major cost drivers and implementing cost-reduction strategies.