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.