The lymphatic system is crucial for maintaining fluid and protein balance, and for immune function. It also plays an important role in the spread of cancer. Lymphedema can form when parts of the system are not functioning, such as in patients who have undergone lymph node resection as part of cancer therapy. Lymphedema is a painful, debilitating condition for which there is no cure. This research is aimed at constructing multi-scale models of lymphatic pumping function, incorporating information from the cellular to the whole organ level. Lymphatic endothelial and smooth muscle cell mechanotransduction events are incorporated into a single lymphangion pumping unit. The performance of this pumping unit is shown to exhibit behaviors observed in experiments with rat mesentery.

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