GLIDE

Groundbreaking Lymphatic Interventions and Drug Exploration

The Big Question 

What if doctors were able to prevent and cure human disease by targeting the lymphatic system?

The Problem 

Millions of Americans live with common chronic and rare diseases with underlying lymphatic dysfunction. Lymphatic disorders are progressive, debilitating, and sometimes deadly. Current treatment options are lifelong and palliative only, and there are no cures to address abnormal lymphatic structure and function. Increasingly, we understand that disorders ranging from congestive heart failure to breast cancer to Alzheimer’s disease are all associated with underlying, untreated lymphatic dysfunction.

The Current State 

Lymphatic dysfunction, when diagnosed, is managed with compression therapy, or tight garments that reduce the swelling of lymph tissues. The goal of this symptom management is to physically push lymphatic fluid back where it should flow. Surgical repair is still an experimental treatment and other pharmacological interventions are off-label, must be taken lifelong, and have the potential for serious side effects. Overall, though, lymphatic system health is not regularly assessed or incorporated into treatment considerations for most chronic diseases.

The Challenge 

The Groundbreaking Lymphatic Interventions and Drug Exploration program, or GLIDE, envisions a future where doctors have a wide variety of therapeutic tools targeting abnormal lymphatic structure and function. Such treatments could prevent and cure primary lymphatic disease and other chronic disorders associated with lymphatic dysfunction, like autoimmune disorders and cancers. GLIDE aims to advance lymphatic medicine, improve our understanding of the role of lymphatic dysfunction in disease, and build effective, affordable, and accessible treatment options.

The Solution 

GLIDE’s goals are spread across two technical areas for developing new physical and pharmacological therapies targeting abnormal lymphatic structure and function. Through advances in biomaterials, interventional radiology (IR) and minimally invasive surgical approaches, and imaging, GLIDE will accelerate therapeutic options in compression, IR, microsurgery, and other minimally invasive technologies. Additionally, GLIDE will support the development of targeted pharmacologic gene, and cell therapies that directly target mechanisms of lymphatic dysfunction to modulate tissue contractility and vessel growth.

Why ARPA-H

GLIDE is designed to be complementary to the diagnostics of the LIGHT program where collaboration, integration and cross-pollination of ideas will lead to the development of an entirely new field of lymphatic medicine with affordable, accessible interventions to repair the lymphatic system and treat chronic diseases.

GLIDE Discovery Duos: Voice Sessions

Designing Lymphatic Solutions with Patients, for Patients.

The GLIDE program involves the patient and caregiver perspective from the start. Each performer team is required to include a Discovery Duo, a unique pairing of an early-career investigator and a patient or caregiver ambassador.

The Discovery Duo approach ensures that patient perspectives and real-world needs are integrated into the research and development process. Discovery Duos also lead voluntary “voice sessions” (a survey and interview effort) to gather input from the broader community — fellow patients, clinicians, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, and more — to further guide the technology being developed by their team.

Watch webinar recording

Note: Voice sessions are voluntary and conducted by Discovery Duo teams, not ARPA-H. Links provided in this section will open a form created by the Discovery Duo team. If you have trouble accessing a link, please contact your system administrator or try accessing the form from a different account.

Want to learn more?

Interested community members (patients, caregivers, providers, advocates, biotech investors, payers, etc) can find out more information and sign-up with one or more voice sessions:

3DT Holdings, LLC: Minimally invasive thoracic‑duct procedures and first targeted anticoagulant to treat Central Conducting Lymphatic Anomaly (CCLA).
Georgia Tech Research Corporation: New ways to deliver medicine directly to the lymphatic system, with fewer side effects.
LymphaTech: A smart, wearable garment that adjusts compression at home and lets doctors monitor patients remotely.
Monash University and Seaport Therapeutics: Oral lymphatic‑targeted anti‑inflammatory therapy addressing gut‑driven metabolic disease, with potential use in pancreatic cancer treatment.
Monash University: Drug solution to improve contraction of lymphatic vessels to alleviate Rheumatoid and Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and Lymphedema.
Ropirio Therapeutics: Drugs to treat secondary and primary lymphedema patients by activating lymphatics when they shut down.
Stanford University: Surgical implant enabling lymphatic healing after cancer procedures, paired with medication to prevent lymphedema and support fluid drainage.
William Marsh Rice University: Regenerative medicine using cell therapy to initiate lymphatic vessel growth and cure lymphedema with improved lymph drainage.