{"688718":{"#nid":"688718","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech Receives Up to $21.8M Award in \u2018Unprecedented\u2019 Push to Treat Lymphatic Disease","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology has been awarded up to $21.8 million from the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arpa-h.gov\/\u0022\u003EAdvanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)\u003C\/a\u003E to deliver a first-of-its-kind therapy to patients with lymphatic disease.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor many of these patients, care has long meant pain and disfigurement alongside other severe side effects, rather than receiving treatment that addresses the disease itself. This new ARPA-H award marks a potential turning point.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELead researcher\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/thomas\u0022\u003ESusan Napier Thomas\u003C\/a\u003E, Woodruff Professor in the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E and the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/bio\u0022\u003EParker H. Petit Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience\u003C\/a\u003E (IBB), has collaborated with her colleague\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/dixon\u0022\u003EJ. Brandon Dixon\u003C\/a\u003E, Woodruff Professor in the Woodruff School and IBB, for more than a decade on this project. The research partners are driven by the lack of meaningful treatment options available to patients.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFunding support at this level is unprecedented,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cIt finally gives us a chance to move beyond symptom management and toward real treatment. We\u2019re addressing an underserved population with a huge unmet need.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EA Gap in Care\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe lymphatic system helps keep fluid moving through the body and plays a key role in immune health. When it does not function properly, fluid can build up in tissues, causing chronic pain and other long-term complications. Thomas noted that despite its toll on patients, lymphatic disease has lagged decades behind cardiovascular care in both treatment and research investment.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are excited about this groundbreaking project in lymphatic engineering,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/faculty\/garcia\u0022\u003EAndr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda,\u003C\/a\u003E IBB executive director. \u201cBy uniting interdisciplinary expertise, this work addresses long-standing challenges in lymphatic disease and moves meaningful solutions closer to the patients who need them most.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EWhat Comes Next\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the coming years, Thomas, Dixon, and their research partners will work toward an initial human trial, with an early focus on rare lymphatic conditions in children, as well as chronic disease in adults.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis award reflects Georgia Tech\u2019s growing leadership in using engineering to solve some of healthcare\u2019s biggest challenges,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/user\/1078\u0022\u003ECarolyn Seepersad\u003C\/a\u003E, Eugene C. Gwaltney Jr. School Chair and professor in the Woodruff School. \u201cIt reinforces the Institute\u2019s role in advancing innovations that improve patient care and strengthen Georgia\u2019s position as a hub for health technology and biomedical innovation.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe award was made through ARPA-H\u2019s Groundbreaking Lymphatic Interventions and Drug Exploration (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/arpa-h.gov\/explore-funding\/programs\/glide\u0022\u003EGLIDE\u003C\/a\u003E) program led by Dr. Kimberley Steele.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis research was funded, in part, by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) under Agreement No. 1AY2AX000137-01. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. government.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech has been awarded up to $21.8 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop a first-of-its-kind therapy for lymphatic disease, a condition that has long lacked effective treatment options. Led by Woodruff Professors Susan Napier Thomas and J. Brandon Dixon, the project aims to move beyond symptom management and address the disease itself, offering hope to patients who often experience chronic pain and disfigurement. Funded through ARPA-H\u2019s GLIDE program, the initiative will focus on advancing the therapy toward initial human trials, including for rare pediatric conditions. The award highlights Georgia Tech\u2019s leadership in engineering-driven healthcare innovation and its commitment to improving care for underserved patient populations.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The project aims to move lymphatic disease out of the medical margins and toward patients who have had few meaningful treatment options."}],"uid":"36410","created_gmt":"2026-03-04 14:45:56","changed_gmt":"2026-03-13 21:29:44","author":"mazriel3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-04T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2026-03-04T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679638":{"id":"679638","type":"image","title":"Thomas\/Dixon REVISED headshots","body":null,"created":"1773436990","gmt_created":"2026-03-13 21:23:10","changed":"1773437095","gmt_changed":"2026-03-13 21:24:55","alt":"Headshots of Susan Thomas and J. Brandon DIxon","file":{"fid":"263821","name":"biggiesmalls.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/13\/biggiesmalls.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/13\/biggiesmalls.png","mime":"image\/png","size":6814046,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/13\/biggiesmalls.png?itok=ujVE7fCX"}}},"media_ids":["679638"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"140","name":"Cancer Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"},{"id":"385","name":"cancer"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193658","name":"Commercialization"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMichelle Azriel \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Writer, Editor Research Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["mazriel3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}