Is Alzheimer's a Lymphatic Disease? Emerging Evidence
from Preclinical and Clinical Studies

Date: August 19, 2026

Description: Part 2 of LE&RN's two-part symposium series on lymphatics and brain health. Dr. Jeffrey Iliff of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Washington Alzheimer's Disease Research Center examines the brain's glymphatic system and meningeal lymphatic vessels, which have reshaped our understanding of sleep and brain waste clearance. Studies in animals and humans show that waste products such as amyloid-beta and tau are cleared from the brain during sleep, a process that appears impaired in Alzheimer's disease and related risk states, pointing to new opportunities for early detection and prevention by targeting brain waste clearance pathways. Links referenced in this presentation:  Brain Clearance Basics  |  Rodent Studies and Alzheimer's  |  Human Studies - Neuropathology  |  Human Studies - Genetic

About the speaker: Jeffrey Iliff studies how the brain clears its own waste, focusing on the glymphatic system and the meningeal lymphatic vessels that carry fluid away from brain tissue during sleep. His research looks at how this clearance process breaks down in Alzheimer's disease, pointing toward new ways to detect and prevent the disease by supporting the brain's natural waste-clearance pathways.