Mice Re-Grow Lymphatics!

No, I am not making this up.

Check it out here:

The VEGF-C therapy To Restore Lymphatic Vessel And Lymph Node Function

Pretty exciting stuff, huh? My only real questions are about the timetable. If I understood the brief right, they are having to be very super cautious because of the possibility of cancer metastasis.

I would like to know more about potential application of this research with regard to hereditary lymphedema, both in terms of being more aggressive about the research, and potential complications. It's a genetic therapy. It has proven successful in mice who previously had genetically normal lymphatics.

My first question is whether or not it would even work with a patient/animal/subject that was born with abnormal lymphatics. Then I'd love to know about various aspects of that - does it only work in patients who were born without vessels in parts of their body or can it help those whose lymphatics are too big or too small, too?

Like all good research it engenders as many questions as it answers. Thanks and props to Pat at Lymphedema People who posted the original link on the Advocates for Lymphedema Yahoo! Group.

Searching for a Good Cause

Check out GoodSearch.com. It is a standard search engine, powered by Yahoo!, except...

They split the ad revenue for ads sold on their searches between themselves and a variety of schools and charities.

The Lymphatic Research Foundation IS on the list. So I am encouraging anyone with a vested interest in finding a cure for lymphedema to go to GoodSearch.com, choose the LRF, and search away!

After all, those little pennies add up, and may just help find a cure!

Mixed Emotions

Any advance in lymphedema research is good. It is, honest.

This article talks about advances in preventing arm lymphedema in breast cancer patients. Which is awesome, I wouldn't wish LE on anyone. But...

Let's face it, LE has been around a while, all the family studies show that. The reality is that most of the research funding that has been thrown at LE has been thrown that way by the immensely powerful breast cancer lobby. It's selfish of me, I know, but if they find a way to keep breast cancer patients from getting LE, I'm worried that it will spell the end of quality/quantity research funding.

I'm already more upset than I can possibly explain that breast cancer patients get all the LE treatment they need and my poor baby, who simply had the misfortune to be born with this condition has to fight for recognition and treatment every single day. At least BC survivors got to have a life without LE. I know, I know, it's terrible, and not PC, particularly since my stepsister is a 2-time BC survivor, but I can't help it, it's how I feel, political correctness be damned.