SEMINAR
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Reverse Engineering the
Lymphatic System
Monday, April 27
1034 Emerging Technologies Building
9:10 a.m.
The lymphatic system is a complex multi-organ transportation system within the
body that connects almost all parenchymal tissues to the lymph nodes and the
blood circulation. It transports fluid (lymph) that contains many elements from
the interstitial fluid/cells of the body to and through the lymph nodes en route
to the great veins of the neck. Lymph carries many elements critical to our health;
excess tissue fluid, extravasated blood macromolecules, small molecules, lipids,
antigens (self and foreign), cytokines, chemokines, immune cells and others.
Thus it plays critical roles in edema formation/resolution, inflammation, lipid
absorption/metabolism, immune function and cancer metastases. The lymphatic
vascular system has very complex network architecture and must overcome
adverse hydrodynamic conditions to transport the 3-5 liters of lymph per day
(humans) it normally moves out of the tissue spaces. It accomplishes these tasks
through the involvement of pumps and valves. We have studied the biology of
the lymphatic system for about 30 years. Over the last decade we have combined
forces with members of BMEN and other engineering departments to further our
understanding of complex lymphatic function. Over the last decade, this successful
collaboration has resulted in the combined training of 8 graduates students, the
acquisition of 6 NIH/NSF grants totaling >7M$, 17 peer-reviewed original research
papers and >40 abstracts. The incorporation of engineering faculty, principles,
modeling and technologies into the Lymphatic Biology Division team has enabled
a better, more holistic understanding of the function
of the lymphatic system.
David C. Zawieja, Ph.D.
Regents Professor and Interim
Chair, Department of Medical
Physiology
Director of the Division of
Lymphatic Biology
Texas A&M Health Science Center
College of Medicine
David C. Zawieja
Dr. Zawieja obtained his B.S. in biology, chemistry and population dynamics from the University of Wisconsin
and his Ph.D. in physiology from the Medical School of Wisconsin. After a postdoctoral fellowship at Texas A&M
University in 1986, Dr. Zawieja rose through the faculty ranks and was named full professor in 2004 and Texas
A&M System Regents Professor in 2013. Dr. Zawieja has been vice chair of the Department of Medical Physiology
since 2005 and took over as interim chair in 2014. In addition, he is director of the Lymphatic Biology Division
within the department and an executive committee member of the TAMUS CardioVascular Research Institute.
Throughout his career, Dr. Zawieja has been awarded NIH NRSA, NIH RCDA, and in 2010 the International
Lymphatic Research Leadership Award from the Lymphatic Research Foundation. He also has served on regional
and federal review panels, editorial boards and as associate editor for a number of science specialty journals. Dr.
Zawieja’s lab has been involved in studies on the physiology of lymph transport for more than 30 years. In 2003,
he founded the Division of Lymphatic Biology, the largest group of trans-disciplinary investigators focusing on
lymphatic biology in the United States. The division has faculty from seven different colleges and components
of Texas A&M University and has shared grants with four different research institutions in the country and four
others outside of the United States.