interstitium

We feel that we know so much about the body that it comes as a surpise to find that we still have much to learn. Researchers are claiming that they have found a new organ in the body, a finding made possible by technical equipment that allowed  them to view structures around organs, blood vessels, muscles, etc.  They discovered a network of collagen with small holes in it filled with fluid. This network can be found all around the body and has the same structure wherever it occurs. Its function seems to be to protect other parts of the body, such as the heart, liver, blood vessels, muscles, etc. There may be a link between the interstitial fluid and the lymphatic system which may have an influence on the autoimmune system. The researchers have named the whole network the interstitium and classed it as another organ of the body because its structure and functions are the same wherever it occurs.