AUTHOR=Singhal Dhruv , Börner Katy , Chaikof Elliot L. , Detmar Michael , Hollmén Maija , Iliff Jeffrey J. , Itkin Maxim , Makinen Taija , Oliver Guillermo , Padera Timothy P. , Quardokus Ellen M. , Radtke Andrea J. , Suami Hiroo , Weber Griffin M. , Rovira Ilsa I. , Muratoglu Selen C. , Galis Zorina S. TITLE=Mapping the lymphatic system across body scales and expertise domains: A report from the 2021 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute workshop at the Boston Lymphatic Symposium JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology VOLUME=14 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1099403 DOI=10.3389/fphys.2023.1099403 ISSN=1664-042X ABSTRACT=

Enhancing our understanding of lymphatic anatomy from the microscopic to the anatomical scale is essential to discern how the structure and function of the lymphatic system interacts with different tissues and organs within the body and contributes to health and disease. The knowledge of molecular aspects of the lymphatic network is fundamental to understand the mechanisms of disease progression and prevention. Recent advances in mapping components of the lymphatic system using state of the art single cell technologies, the identification of novel biomarkers, new clinical imaging efforts, and computational tools which attempt to identify connections between these diverse technologies hold the potential to catalyze new strategies to address lymphatic diseases such as lymphedema and lipedema. This manuscript summarizes current knowledge of the lymphatic system and identifies prevailing challenges and opportunities to advance the field of lymphatic research as discussed by the experts in the workshop.