Rossana Magnotta, whose husband died of Lyme disease, is
donating $1.8 million to the University of Guelph to research the disease.
The funds come from the G. Magnotta Foundation for Vector-Borne
Diseases she established in 2012.
Her husband’s disease was missed by Canadian doctors, but
diagnosed when he sought treatment in the United States.
The University of Guelph is establishing the Magnotta Lyme
Disease Research Institute.
Melanie Willis, a research associate in the department of
molecular biology, will be the director of the new lab.
The disease is caused by bacteria that is spread by ticks,
often from deer.
