Researchers Hunt for Easier Detection of Lymphatic Disorders

Lymphatic diseases, which affect some 10 million people in the United States, are difficult to diagnose because no single test can see the entire network of tiny lymph vessels in the body, and doctors often need to combine different approaches to identify problems.

To address the issue, the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health recently announced the Lymphatic Imaging, Genomics, and pHenotyping Technologies (LIGHT) program performers to develop the first comprehensive diagnostic toolkit to allow health care providers to detect lymphatic disorders earlier and as part of routine physical exams.

A team of University of Texas at Dallas researchers is supported by a subaward (1AY2AX00081) of up to $3.3 million over five years from Rice University, which will receive up to $18 million from the LIGHT program.

These researchers are working on a variety of topics, including research to measure lymphatic flow and obstruction in real time; diagnose and classify pediatric lymphatic abnormalities; detect lymphatic dysfunction; and predict an individual's risk of developing lymphedema.

The UT Dallas group leads an effort to identify which molecules in the body, such as specific proteins, could signal the presence of lymphatic diseases.

"We are working to identify biomarkers for lymphatic disorders and to design technologies to detect them through blood samples," said Dr. Zhenpeng Qin, professor of mechanical engineering and Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. "We are excited to be part of this big mission."

Qin directs the Nanomics Lab, which is located in the Texas Instruments Biomedical Engineering and Sciences Building on the East Campus of UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW). The building was designed to foster collaboration between researchers at UT Dallas and UTSW, which is also part of the Rice University group.

The lymphatic system plays a key role in balancing fluids, fighting infections and removing waste from the body. Problems with the system can worsen or contribute to chronic conditions including diabetes; obesity; chronic kidney, liver and lung diseases; and autoimmune and infectious diseases.

Researchers at Rice are leading a project to develop noninvasive imaging technology that uses near-infrared light, which can penetrate deep into tissue, and ultrasound waves to produce detailed, real-time images of the body's lymphatic system. The technology, called a photoacoustic imaging system, also relies on specially designed molecules that recognize and bind to biomarkers associated with lymphatic disorders.

Since there are dozens of types of lymphatic disorders, researchers must identify specific biomarkers to detect and monitor a range of conditions, said Dr. Vinit Sheth BS'19, a research scientist in Qin's lab.

Sheth, who earned his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering at UT Dallas, joined the University last summer after earning his doctoral degree from The University of Oklahoma. As a UT Dallas undergraduate, Sheth worked on a project sponsored by Qin for UTDesign Capstone, which gives senior engineering and computer science students experience working on real-world projects.

Determining which biomarkers signal a problem with the lymphatic system will require careful detective work. To identify them, the UT Dallas team will compare blood samples from people with lymphatic disorders to those from healthy individuals, looking for consistent differences, such as unusually high or low levels of certain proteins, that could serve as early warning signs of disease.

"Lymphatic disease is understudied, and research in this area is not as well funded as some other diseases," Sheth said. "It's great to be able to work on this research, which could help a lot of people."

Media Contact: Kim Horner, UT Dallas, 972-883-4463, [email protected], or the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, [email protected].