Abstract

Lymphatic diseases affect over 10 million people in the United States and are grossly understudied. Lymphedema, the most commonly occurring lymphatic disease, is considered one of the most significant cancer survivorship issues in the US. Notably, our primary understanding and mapping of the lymphatic system come from animal models; a comprehensive anatomic reference from the human lymphatic system does not currently exist. We propose the development of a lymphatic tissue mapping center (TMC) as a part of the NIH Human Biomolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP). Specifically, through a consortium of institutions including the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, and Indiana University, we will acquire both lymphatic collectors and lymphatic capillaries in healthy individuals across the entire health spectrum and register each of these samples to the associated angiosome, thereby allowing coordination with HuBMAP. These samples will undergo spatial transcriptome analysis. Moreover, we will perform 3D radiologic imaging of lymphatic collectors throughout the body. The spatial transcriptome analysis and 3D imaging data will be processed and transferred to the HuBMAP Integration, Visualization, and Engagement (HIVE) Collaborative. The lymphatic tissue mapping center, alongside HuBMAP, will provide a finely detailed anatomy of the lymphatic system to better inform future surgical interventions. The spatial transcriptome analysis will provide potential targets for future pharmacological therapeutics.

Public health relevance statement

Lymphatic diseases affect 10 million people in the United States and are understudied. We propose to create a Lymphatic Tissue Mapping Center (TMC) for the NIH Human Biomolecular Atlas Program (HuBMAP) to advance the knowledge of the human lymphatic system.