Description

Join us as Dr. Tim Padera, Ph.D. Associate Professor at Massachusetts General Hospital will discuss “The lymphatic system in health and disease” on Thursday, May 2 at 1pm Eastern.  

Abstract: The lymphatic system absorbs interstitial fluid to create lymph and returns it to the blood in order to maintain tissue fluid balance. Lymph is also rich in immune information, so on its journey back to the blood, it passes through lymph nodes to regulate our immune homeostasis. To do its job, the lymphatic system has different types of specialized lymphatic vessels. If these specialized vessels lose their functionality—often through a disease process— then tissue swelling and immune compromised tissue results. Here we will discuss lymphatic vessel contractility critical to transporting lymph, how bacterial infections can impair lymphatic function and some mechanisms involved in lymphatic repair after injury.