About This Project

When we get an upper respiratory infection, our nose and sinuses become swollen which makes us feel congested and heavy headed. For some patients this can last for weeks or months, and becomes chronic sinusitis. We will get nasal sprays, antibiotics, steroids, saline rinses and other medicines, but often the swelling will not go down. We now know the swelling persists because the inflammation in the nose and sinuses will not resolve. But we don't know WHY.

Our project will explore one of the potential causes of this swelling, a breakdown in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system exists to help remove inflammation and swelling from our body's tissue. We hypothesize that when it stops working, the nose and sinuses can't reverse the swelling.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

The lymphatic system in our body exists to help our tissues heal from injury. Whether it is infection, inflammation, or trauma the body sends many cells and cellular products to fight that injury. As our body heals, those cells and their products need to be removed and the lymphatic system carries them away. This is both active and passive. There is even evidence that the lymphatic cells interact with the immune system.

Dysfunction of the lymphatic system results in tissue edema (swelling) as seen in lymphedema after cancer surgery. So in sinusitis, where tissue edema is the main clinical feature, it seems that the lymphatics are involved. However, no research has been done in this area. This project will explore the lymphatic system in the nose and sinuses.

What is the significance of this project?

Most of us spend a portion of every year sick with a cold. But many patients feel like they have a cold for weeks, months, or years on end. The inflammation in their nose and sinuses grows out of control. Most of the time, doctors can try supportive care, antibiotics, oral steroids, or nasal sprays. Many patients require surgery. But for many patients, these methods are insufficient to relieve their symptoms.

The problem is that sinus medications do not target specific products of inflammation. As a result, we don't know exactly what aspect of the inflammation we are treating. To target the specific cells involved in the swelling of the nasal and sinus lining, we must better understand the components of that inflammation, one of which is the lymphatic system.

What are the goals of the project?

Our specific goals are as follows:

1. Describe the anatomy of the lymphatic system in the nasal and sinus mucosal lining.

2. Discover how specific inflammatory cells and cellular products change the anatomy of the lymphatic system, and how those changes cause swelling of the nose and sinus lining.