Clarke Lab

Dr. Benjamin Clarke research focus is the study of the pathology of Lyme Disease. In particular, he is interested in the interaction of the Borrelia Burgdorferi with macrophage and neutrophils, and the development of non-serological clinical assays for detecting infection with Borrelia.

According to Dr. Clarke, there are more than 850 varieties of ticks in the world! Dr. Clarke studies Ixodes, which are typically found in North America, including the Upper Midwest region. Ticks are eight-legged critters, related to spiders and mites, who inhabit low brushes and grasses that feast on blood. Small rodents are favorite prey, but they will feed on any other prey they could bite. It is the saliva that they excrete through their bites, during blood-feeding, which transmit tick-borne diseases. Since not all bites are infected, it is important to get tested to determine if the tick carries pathogens. Learn more here 

Dr. Benjamin Clarke and his lab team study the Blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis), Common dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and the Lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum). This research is important to help identify and understand the symptoms of Lyme Disease early and develop preventative treatment. Read more here.

To better understand Lyme Disease and chart where ticks live, Dr. Clarke and his lab team manage a “Tick Bank” and collect tick specimens to contribute to his research. To identify ticks, the lab looks at three structures to identify ticks, such as the scutum (shield shape), the capitulum or mouthparts, and the festoons, which are segmented patterns, typically found on the Dermacentor and Amblyomma. Read more about these features here.

The 'Tick Bank' is part of the Ixodes outreach project: A northern MN community education and research program that Dr. Clarke set up to educate communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin to raise awareness about Lyme disease and tick-borne disease. 

Ixode lifestyle: Blog spot project



 

• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Chemistry Society
• American Indian Science and Engineering Society
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• American Society for Cell Biology
• ASCB Minority Affairs Committee
• Endocrine Society
• Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science
• The American Association for Immunology
• The Association of American Indian and Alaska Native Professors

Name: Benjamin Clarke, PhD 
Professor, Program in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, Department of Biomedical Sciences 
Title: Principal Investigator
Email: bclarke@umn.edu
Phone: 218-726-6587
Office Address:
Department of Biomedical Sciences
323 SMed
1035 University Drive
Duluth, Minnesota 55812

Lab Team

Shannon RedBrook, MS, Research Assistant/Community Outreach
Sam Fein, MS student
Andrea Hille, Science and Engineering undergraduate student
Amritha Nair, Visiting Scholar
Jared Tucker, Science and Engineering undergraduate student
 

Past Lab Team Members

Ross Brink, MS student
Kurt O'Connor, Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program undergraduate student