Lymphatic System News and Research

RSS

Lymph is clear or white fluid that travels through vessels, moves within tissues and work to keep all the parts of the body clean.
After passing through the channels of the lymphatic system they drain into the lymph nodes.
The lymph nodes act as filters along the lymphatic system. These nodes trap germs like bacteria, viruses, toxins as well as cancer cells and ensure that these are removed from the body.

Combining a chemical blocker of immune cell exit with immunotherapy stops skin cancer growth

The number of specialized immune cells available for fighting skin cancer doubled when a new treatment blocked their escape from melanoma tumors, experiments in mice and human cells show.

27 Feb 2023

Study provides insight into the immune microenvironment around Hodgkin lymphoma tumors

The most comprehensive study to date of the blood cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma, has provided fascinating insights into what tumour cells must do to survive. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute found that cancer cells use signals to attract certain types of immune cell and instruct them not to attack.

16 Feb 2023

Lymphatic vessels may be a previously unrecognized source of blood cells

Scientists investigating the causes of lymphoedema have made a major discovery, revealing that lymphatic vessels can produce red and white blood cells.

7 Feb 2023

COVID-19 vaccine potency and breadth improved by nanoparticle-conjugated adjuvants

In a recent study posted to bioRxiv*, researchers designed a nanoparticle (NP)-conjugated toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist to improve the adjuvanticity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines.

8 Jan 2023

Cancer immunotherapies can become more potent depending on the time of day

Scientists from the UNIGE and LMU show that the anti-tumor activity of the immune system - and the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies - depends on the time of day.

7 Dec 2022

Study reveals wasteosomes as markers of chronic glymphatic system insufficiency

A new study led by researchers from the University of Barcelona shows that wasteosomes - structures that act as containers for brain waste products - indicate a malfunction of the glymphatic system, a recently discovered system that is an important brain-cleaning mechanism.

30 Nov 2022

Study explores work experiences and quality of life for Hispanic survivors

As a cancer nurse in the U.S. Army for more than 29 years, Elizabeth Anderson saw firsthand how chemotherapy, radiation and surgeries impact the body's lymphatic system, putting breast cancer survivors at greater risk for developing lymphedema, a chronic condition of swelling that may occur after surgical removal, chemotherapy treatment, or irradiation of lymph nodes.

13 Sep 2022

Scientists identify genetic variants linked to an increased risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma

Why did my child get cancer? Clinicians have longed for a way to help answer this question. Doctors knew Hodgkin lymphoma sometimes occurs in families, but why this happens has been a mystery. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have now helped solve it.

9 Sep 2022

Discovery points to new drug targets that could prevent cancer spread

Any cancer cell migrating from a tumor to set up shop elsewhere in the body will face a brutal attack from an immune system programmed to seek and destroy abnormal cells.

22 Aug 2022

New anti-cancer drug candidate is absorbed through the lymphatic system rather than blood vessels

A team of University of Michigan researchers is developing a new anti-cancer drug that is absorbed through the gut's lymphatic system rather than blood vessels, potentially outmaneuvering the molecular signaling pathways that lead to drug resistance while increasing cancer-fighting ability and reducing side effects.

17 Aug 2022

Next generation mRNA vaccines exhibit excellent protective and therapeutic effects

Researchers around the world have been working for years on developing vaccines against different types of cancer, but without much success. Now, Tufts School of Engineering researchers think they have found one that does work. They have devised a method of targeting cancer in mice with a vaccine that is so strong and precise, it eliminates tumors and even prevents their recurrence.

16 Aug 2022

Lymphatic capillaries act as a signaling hub to control intestinal stem cell activity

To act as a robust barrier against pathogens while also absorbing needed nutrients, the lining of the intestines must regenerate on a daily basis to remain equal to the task.

22 Jul 2022

Study offers a new and unique treatment for AIDS

A new study from Tel Aviv University offers a new and unique treatment for AIDS which may be developed into a vaccine or a one time treatment for patients with HIV.

13 Jun 2022

Creating CAR T cells without an immune brake

T cells are usually very good at eliminating diseased cells. But they seem to fail when it comes to tumor cells.

10 Jun 2022

Exploring the impact of climate change on lymphedema symptoms

Flinders University studies to determine if people with lymphoedema experience symptom variations due to varying climatic conditions aim to provide better treatment outcomes for patients trying to cope with longstanding swelling in their limbs.

10 Jun 2022

Researchers demonstrate the double advantage of killer T-cells used in cancer immunotherapy

To grow, tumors rely on a specific structure, the tumor stroma. This includes blood vessels, which provide the nutrients necessary for the multiplication of diseased cells, and of lymphatic vessels, through which they migrate to metastasize.

9 Jun 2022

New discovery could pave the way for more effective cancer immunotherapy

A type of white blood cell previously known only as a helper in the immune system appears also to be the instigator of the body's defenses against cancerous tumors.

31 May 2022

Immune response and the lymphatic system are key to cardiac repair after heart attack

Immune response and the lymphatic system are central to cardiac repair after a heart attack, according to a study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute.

25 May 2022

Reprogrammed macrophages promote the settlement of breast cancer metastases in the lungs

Metastatic breast cancer cells abuse macrophages, a type of immune cell, to promote the settlement of cancer metastases in the lungs.

25 Apr 2022

New findings cement the lymphatic system’s role in heart repair

Expression of a pro-lymphangiogenic growth factor after heart injury activates the lymphatic system, spurring leukocytes to help clear away dying cells, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

5 Apr 2022