Marlys H Witte
- Professor, Surgery
- Professor, Neurosurgery
- Professor, Pediatrics
- Member of the Graduate Faculty
- Professor, BIO5 Institute
Biography
As Professor of Surgery and Director of Student Research, University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Secretary-General of the 42-nation International Society of Lymphology, I am engaged in extensive activities in clinical and basic lymphology – the study of lymphatics, lymph, lymphocytes, and lymph nodes in health and disease. My translational interests and contributions have spanned blood/lymphatic vascular endothelial cell biology and pathobiology in vitro and in vivo, hepatosplanchnic lymphatic/microcirculatory physiology, small animal models, in vivo lymphatic imaging, thoracic duct lymph drainage, lymphogenous cancer spread, and genomics/proteomics of lymphedema-angiodysplasia syndromes in man and experimental models, including defects, deficiency, and overexpression of human and murine lymphangio- genesis genes and their syndromic/phenotypic manifestations. Collaborative research has touched upon HIV encephalopathy, blood-brain barrier, CNS fluid dynamics, and ocular development/ disorders. I continue to work on a variety of infectious diseases and immune disorders (e.g., inflammatory bowel disease, AIDS, Kaposi sarcoma, tuberculosis, filariasis, congenital/hereditary lymphatic system syndromes, opportunistic infections/neoplasms) and direct an internationally recognized Lymphedema-Angiodysplasia clinic. Author of more than 400 peer-reviewed publications, recipient of numerous international honors and the UA College of Medicine's Gold-Headed Cane, Founders Day, and Virginia Furrow Education and Innovation Awards, I have received continuous funding from NIH (as well as other government, AMA, and non-profit agency grants) since I was a medical resident. I have also served as Program Director of UA’s only NIH General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) and am a member of the UA Arizona Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sarver Heart Center, and Viper Institute and have mentored hundreds of students supported by a continuous sequence of NIH multi-institute training grants I have acquired since 1982. These NIH research pipeline/ training grants, an earlier federally funded nationwide “Women in Medical Academia” project organized in the mid-1970's, and my service reflect a long-standing commitment to leadership training, equity, diversity, and disadvantaged populations including but not limited to underrepresented ethnic minorities, women, and the disabled. My educational activities have an overlying theme of “medical ignorance” – “what we know we don’t know, don’t know we don’t know, and think we know but don’t,” which aims to nurture “curiosity” (an “addiction” to ignorance/ unanswered questions-unquestioned answers).
Degrees
- M.D. Internal Medicine
- New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States
- B.A. Zoology
- Barnard College, New York, New York, United States
Awards
- College of Medicine Faculty Mentoring Award
- UA College of Medicine, Summer 2021
- Honorary President
- Pan American Society of Lymphology, Spring 2019
- External Consultant
- Shephard University, Spring 2018
Licensure & Certification
- Certification, American Board of Internal Medicine (1967)
- Medical License, State of Arizona (1970)
- Diplomate, National Board of Medical Examiners (1961)
Interests
No activities entered.
Courses
2025-26 Courses
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Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Spring 2026)
2024-25 Courses
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Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Spring 2025) -
Directed Research
PSIO 492 (Fall 2024) -
Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Fall 2024)
2023-24 Courses
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Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Spring 2024) -
Honors Directed Research
BIOC 392H (Fall 2023) -
Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Fall 2023)
2022-23 Courses
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Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Spring 2023) -
Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Fall 2022)
2021-22 Courses
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Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Spring 2022) -
Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Fall 2021)
2020-21 Courses
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Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Spring 2021)
2019-20 Courses
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Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Fall 2019)
2018-19 Courses
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Honors Directed Research
BIOC 492H (Spring 2019) -
Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Fall 2018)
2017-18 Courses
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Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Fall 2017)
2016-17 Courses
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Fluid+Electrolyte Bal
SURG 850A (Spring 2017) -
Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Fall 2016)
2015-16 Courses
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Clinics in Med Ignorance
SURG 850C (Spring 2016) -
Fluid+Electrolyte Bal
SURG 850A (Spring 2016) -
Lymvas System Health+Dis
SURG 850B (Spring 2016) -
Research Distinction Track
SURG 800A (Spring 2016)
Scholarly Contributions
Chapters
Journals/Publications
- More infoAlzheimer's disease (AD) affects 6.9 million people over the age of 65 in the US and is expected to double by 2060. While FDA approved immunotherapies slow cognitive decline in some individuals with AD, they do not improve cognition, are costly, and have significant side-effects. Therefore, new targets, approaches, and treatments for AD are a necessity. There are no FDA approved therapies for AD that target the brain's lymphatic system. It is well established that the toxic protein, amyloid-beta (Aβ), accumulates in the AD brain. Recent studies have shown that Aβ is cleared via interstitial fluid and cerebrospinal fluid through a pathway involving the glymphatic system-meningeal lymphatic vessels-leading to deep and superficial cervical lymphatic vessels and nodes. Therefore, any blockage along this route can cause inefficient drainage and result in pathological buildup of Aβ, which can lead to AD. Here, we propose a new approach to treating AD by manual lymph drainage (MLD), which is a light skin massage traditionally used to reduce fluid accumulation in lymphedema. This therapy has also been demonstrated to be safe in individuals with AD, but its effects on cognition and biomarkers of AD has never been investigated. In this study we demonstrate that repeated MLD of the head and neck, including the superficial cervical lymphatic vessels (scLVs), improves cognitive function in AD as measured in both the Y-maze and nest-building tests. We also show that this coincides with a reduction in plasma levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a non-specific biomarker for neuronal cell death and axonal damage. MLD was also shown to reduce Aβ in the hippocampus of these mice. Combined, this data provides compelling proof-of-principle evidence for the potential of MLD as a standalone or adjunct therapy in the treatment of AD.
