Seminar Title: The lymphatic system in health and disease
Brief 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. The lymphatic system can also be used by cancer to spread to lymph nodes and in doing so, suppress anti-cancer immune responses. Here we will discuss how the lymphatic systemic is involved with different disease processes, including how bacterial infections can impair lymphatic function and how the lymphatic system is involved with cancer progression.