LymphoLab ProDiscover Kit

The goal of this project is to develop a lymphatic vasculature assay kit – The LymphoLab ProDiscover Kit – that is affordable and modular, allowing research into lymphatic tissue development, function, disease, and treatment. This kit will allow for a rapid and standardized platform to test the effect of drugs, cells, and other factors of the lymphatic microenvironment on the formation and function of lymphatic vasculature and related processes. This project incorporates essential aspects of the lymphatic microenvironment and structure, such as extracellular matrix (ECM) components, lumen formation, seeding with lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) and various other cell types, physiological fluid flow rates, and biomechanics. Inexpensive and widely available imaging techniques will be compatible with the kit, permitting observation of lymphatic tissue function and response to cellular stimuli or relevant modifying agents. The kit allows for experimentation with lymphatic organoids in a physiologically relevant microenvironment that is independent of the hydrogel matrix, cell type, matrix mechanics, tissue architecture, or biochemical signaling implemented.