Speaker:    Associate Professor Ethan Lippmann, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Vanderbilt University

Seminar:  Engineering Strategies to Model and Treat Neurodegeneration

Host:   Assistant Professor Laurel Hind

Seminar Abstract
Our lab is generally focused on modeling, understanding,and treating neurodegenerative disease by integrating concepts across engineering, neuroscience and cellular and molecular biology. We regularly leverage simple cell culture platforms, 3D engineered systems, human tissue and in vivo models to study biological function and deconstruct mechanisms of disease. We also seek to develop engineered platforms, techniques,and strategies that can be applied back to basic wet lab research, model development and drug delivery. In this talk, I will first highlight work focused on developing complex models of vascularized human brain tissue. Next, I will outline some of our emerging work on nonviral gene targeting in the brain using lipid-siRNA conjugates. Across each area, I will discuss how we envision leveraging these efforts to combat Alzheimer’s disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy and tauopathies.

Biosketch
Ethan Lippmann received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his doctoral degree in chemical engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was a postdoctoral fellow in biomedical engineering at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery before starting his independent career at Vanderbilt University in 2015. Ethan is currently an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular rngineering with courtesy appointments in biomedical engineering, neurology, interdisciplinary materials science, and chemical and physical biology. His research program generally focuses on modeling, understanding and treating neurodegeneration. In recognition of his research efforts, he has received a NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, a Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Award from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation, a Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Investigator Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society, and a Chancellor Faculty Fellowship from Vanderbilt University. He is also a two-time recipient of his department’s teaching award and received the School of Engineering’s teaching award in 2022 in recognition of his contributions to undergraduate education.