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A surgical procedure \u2013 commonly used to treat lymphoedema, or painful fluid accumulation in the limbs \u2013 is being explored as the next form of treatment for Alzheimer’s disease right here in Singapore, announced Changi General Hospital (CGH) on Tuesday (Apr 7).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The two-year trial, known as\u00a0<\/span>Cervical Lymphatico-Venous Bypass for Alzheimer’s Disease (CLyVeB-AD-1), is being conducted on four patients at CGH.<\/span><\/p>\n The procedure taps on the body\u2019s lymphatic system, a waste-clearance pathway that uses the brain\u2019s fluid to \u201cwash\u201d away metabolic waste such as Alzheimer’s disease<\/span>-causing proteins, particularly during deep sleep.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lymphatic system basically helps to collect and drain fluid high in protein from the body back into the blood circulatory system,\u201d explained Clinical Assistant Professor Vincent Tay, a consultant with CGH\u2019s Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery Service, Department of Surgery. He is also the principal investigator of the CLyVeB-AD-1 trial.<\/p>\n Using a microsurgical technique known as\u00a0<\/span>lymphaticovenous anastomosis (LVA), l<\/span>ymphatic structures such as lymph nodes on each side of the neck are connected to adjacent veins to improve clearance for the protein-carrying brain fluid.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe surgical principles are similar \u2013 creating bypass pathways for fluid drainage. By connecting neck lymphatic structures to veins to enhance the brain’s natural waste clearance system, we can potentially help clear the toxic proteins that accumulate in Alzheimer’s disease,\u201d said Clinical Assistant Professor Jeremy Sun, the head and a senior consultant with CGH\u2019s Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery Service, Department of Surgery.\u00a0<\/p>\n The multidisciplinary team participating in the CLyVeB-AD-1 trial travelled to Hangzhou, China, where LVA was first used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, to learn about the technique in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n The team then obtained approval from the Institutional Review Board, and is prospectively registered on clinicaltrials.gov. The\u00a0<\/span>CLyVeB-AD-1 trial is\u00a0<\/span>the first regulated clinical trial of its kind in Singapore and Southeast Asia.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n