Maya Levitan
BME PhD Proposal Presentation

Date: 2026-10-27
Time: 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location / Meeting Link: Krone EBB 5029, https://gatech.zoom.us/j/94446970266?pwd=Hwy0bxUGhcPexJnX1WABI0bQOvzsY6.1

Committee Members:
Susan N. Thomas, PhD (Advisor); Brandon Dixon, PhD; Edward Botchwey, PhD; Rebecca Levit, MD; David Francis, PhD


Title: Lymphatic Targeting and Modulating Therapy for the Treatment of Secondary Lymphedema

Abstract:
Secondary lymphedema is a disease in which lymphatic injury causes accumulation of interstitial fluid, resulting in drastic enlargement of the affected area, recurrent infections, limited mobility, and decreased quality of life. Although lymphedema affects an estimated 250 million people worldwide, treatment options remain limited to palliative therapies and complex surgeries. No pharmacological treatment exists for lymphedema. Previous work from our lab has shown a promising approach in which novel lymphatic-targeting nanoparticles were used to deliver a pump function modulator, improving lymphatic pumping function compared to systemic drug delivery. The clinical translatability of this approach is limited, however, by the need for daily injections to achieve therapeutic efficacy. As such, an effective pharmacological treatment for secondary lymphedema would require sustained, lymphatic drug delivery. Our lab has developed an injectable hydrogel (HG), F127-g-gelatin, comprising two polymers already widely used in humans. This HG degrades into drug-loaded micelles that traffic to lymphatic vessels draining the local injection site over the course of 1-2 weeks. The overall objective of this project is to use this HG to develop a clinically translatable approach for sustained, lymphatic drug delivery to treat secondary lymphedema. My central hypothesis is that sustained, lymphatic delivery of pump function and immune modulating drugs will improve lymphatic pumping function and decrease swelling and fibrosis in mouse models of secondary lymphedema.