Diane Lipscombe

Diane Lipscombe is a neuroscientist who primarily focuses on the research of voltage-gated calcium ion channels (CaVs).[1] She received her PhD from the University of London in 1986 in pharmacology.[2] Since 1992, Lipscombe has been a professor at Brown University.[3] Some of her current research experiments range from creating new and improved ways of using bioluminescence[4][5], to looking at voltage-gated calcium channels and how they are affected by normal cell behavior, as well as abnormal cell behavior caused by a disease.[6] Throughout her scientific career she has accumulated numerous awards, both from Brown University as well as outside organizations.[7] She is also on several committee boards, editorial boards of scientific journals, and served as the president of the Society for Neuroscience from 2018–2019.[3]

The University of London where Lipscombe did her undergraduate and PhD.

Education

Lipscombe attended the University of London and graduated with a bachelor's of science in 1982.[1] She stayed at the University of London completing her PhD in pharmacology 1986.[2] Subsequently she completed postdoctoral training with [Richard W. Tsien]] at Yale University and Stanford University.[1]

Academic Career

Lipscombe joined the Department of Neuroscience at Brown in 1992.[1] Her research program focuses on expression, regulation, and function of voltage-gated calcium ion channels.[1] She has written upwards of seventy scientific articles ranging from studies on RNA and DNA binding proteins to articles on chronic pain and psychiatric disorders.[8] She has taught for the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the Marine Biology Lab, and is currently the Thomas J Watson Sr. Professor of Science at Brown University.[9] She trains students in whole cell and single channel patch recording methods, mostly on studies investigating voltage-gated calcium ion channels.[9]

During her time at Brown, she has worked with many students and faculty. Three notable lab members include Stephanie Schorge, Jennifer Pan, and Annette Gray. Stephanie Schorge's focus is in mutation in ion channels[10], which pertains to Lipscombe's interest in the function of calcium ion channels. Jennifer Pan worked alongside Diane Lipscombe in the study of CaV3.3 activity with CACNA1I in schizophrenia.[11] Annette Gray has established excellence in various interdisciplinary research focuses including structural biology and neuroscience, and has researched alternative splicing of neuronal CaV2 with Lipscombe[12].

Brown University: Where Dr. Lipscombe is currently working with Graduate students in her lab. She has received recognition in the form of awards during her time here.

Overall research focus

Lipscombe has spent her career investigating voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCC) within different parts of the nervous system.[1] These VGCCs have a link to certain psychiatric disorders, which is Lipscombe's focus. She has studied alternative splicing variants of different channels, and how variants cause varied biophysical properties and expression in the tissue.[13] An example of a biophysical property of calcium channels include is fast or slow voltage gated inactivation or activation.[14]

VGCCs are made up of multiple subunits and have many genes that code for them. Dr. Lipscombe has studied the many different subunits of calcium channels, an example of one of these calcium channel subunits is CaV 3.3.[13] There are variations of VGCC genes that are associated with patients with schizophrenia. Her studies show that a specific mutation of a single amino acid (R1346H) lessens the calcium current.[13]

L-type calcium channel

Lipscombe is also interested in studying pain, and how pain is affected by VGCCs.[1] Through studying N-type and L-type calcium channels, Lipscombe has been able to contribute to the science behind pain and how it can be stopped.[15] Lipscombe is currently investigating cell mechanisms and how they affect VGCCs during normal and abnormal function. CaV2.2 N-type calcium ion channels are linked to pain. Research in pain is important because chronic pain is a very current therapeutic issue with poor treatment options that are not very effective and have serious harmful side effects. In order to understand the VGCC sub-types, Lipscombe works on various channel inhibitors that may decrease pain. Altnerative splicing of channels may also contribute to pain levels.[15]

Lipscombe has studied how calcium channels affect neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity.[16] A synapse allows information to be passed between a pre-synaptic and a post-synaptic cell.[17] This can occur by the two cells coming together with a small space in between, known as the synaptic cleft, where neurotransmitters pass from one to the other. Calcium is crucial for the release of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft.[17] Through her studies, Lipscombe has examined how adhesion molecules interacting with VGCC subunits can influence release of neurotransmitters. A particular study she worked on focused on neuromuscular junctions in nematodes.[16][17] An important contribution she has made is that the binding of an adhesion molecule, specifically Neurexin, to a VGCC subunit causes a retrograde inhibition of synaptic activity.[17] This has been an important contribution to understanding how the different parts of the synapse work together and function.

Current research

Currently, Lipscombe is investigating the origin and underlying defects in the neurodegenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).[6] Using the genetic model organism fruit flies, they have been able to find the cell autonomous activation of bone morphogenetic signaling in proprioceptor sensory neurons. This experiment has contributed to the identification of the initiation cellular events that are prevalent at the earlier diagnosis.[6]

Lipscombe is part of a team, The Bioluminescence Hub, that is working to develop new ways of performing and improving the technique of bioluminescence, which allows cells to be viewed using light.[5] This is a very valuable tool for neuroscience. Their goals are to make new experimental tools that use bioluminescence, such as multiple chemicals with new colors and the ability to control brightness, as well as having this information available for many students and educators. This way, everyone can have a way of learning about bioluminescence, regardless if you are a scientist or if you are a student.[4]

Lipscombe has made many contributions in her lab. She has contributed to how the function of neurons mediate acute and chronic pain signaling along with their importance and role in the pathophysiology of disorders and diseases. She also had made contributions to advancing device developments that restore brain function and regulate neuronal activity.[3]

Awards

The list of awards and recognition Lipscombe has received in her career in neuroscience is extensive[7]. She has received recognition from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke from Bethesda, MD[18]. She has received multiple awards and recognition from Brown University including a Faculty Advising Fellow and a President's Award.[7] She has also been a director for the Brown University for Brain Science.[3] Along with that she is involved in the American Association for the Advancement of Science as a fellow as well as involved in the National Institutes of Health.[3] She has been recognized and a part of the Society for Neuroscience. Her most notable achievement was president for the Society for Neuroscience in 2018.[3] Her extensive list of achievements can be found on the Brown University page.[7]

Committees and boards

Lipscombe has been on multiple committees and boards.[8][19]

  • 1999-2003 Member of the Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Neuroscience IRG for the National Institutes of Health[20]
  • 2001-2004 Council member of the Society of General Physiologists
  • 2003-2007 Reviewing editor for the Journal of Neuroscience
  • 2007-2010 Member of the scientific publications committee for the Society for Neuroscience
  • 2009-2010 Member of the board for the Butler Hospital in Providence, RI
  • 2011-2013 Senior editor for Brain Research
  • 2002-2015 Editorial board for the Journal of Neurophysiology
  • 2011-2014 Chair member on the Scientific Publications Committee for the Society for Neuroscience
  • 2014 Faculty Advisory Board for the Brown First in the World (FITW) Scholars Program[21]
  • 2015-2019 Member at Large for the Neuroscience Section for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[22]
  • 2015-2019 Councilor for the Society for Neuroscience
  • 2015–present Steering committee for the Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology for Providence Veterans Administration Hospital in Rhode Island.
  • 2016–present Advisory board for the George and Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rhode Island
  • 2017–present Editor for the Current Opinion in Physiology


  1. "Lipscombe, Diane". vivo.brown.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  2. "Prof. Diane Lipscombe". HSTalks. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  3. "Lipscombe elected president of Society for Neuroscience". Brown University. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  4. "BL Hub". www.bioluminescencehub.org. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  5. "NeuroNex Technology Hub: Bioluminescence for Optimal Brain Control and Imaging | Carney Institute for Brain Science | Brown University". www.brown.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-31.
  6. Held, Aaron; Major, Paxton; Sahin, Asli; Reenan, Robert A.; Lipscombe, Diane; Wharton, Kristi A. (2019-03-20). "Circuit Dysfunction in SOD1-ALS Model First Detected in Sensory Feedback Prior to Motor Neuron Degeneration Is Alleviated by BMP Signaling". The Journal of Neuroscience. 39 (12): 2347–2364. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1771-18.2019. ISSN 0270-6474. PMC 6433758. PMID 30659087.
  7. "Lipscombe, Diane". vivo.brown.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  8. "Lipscombe, Diane". vivo.brown.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  9. "Lipscombe, Diane". vivo.brown.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  10. UCL (2018-04-25). "Professor Stephanie Schorge". UCL School of Pharmacy. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  11. "Jen Pan". Broad Institute. 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  12. Lipscombe, Diane; Allen, Summer E.; Gray, Annette C.; Marangoudakis, Spiro; Raingo, Jesica (2008), Structure, Function, and Modulation of Neuronal Voltagegated Ion Channels, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 217–250, doi:10.1002/9780470429907.ch8, ISBN 978-0-470-42990-7 Missing or empty |title= (help); |chapter= ignored (help)
  13. Andrade, Arturo; Brennecke, Ashton; Mallat, Shayna; Brown, Julian; Gomez-Rivadeneira, Juan; Czepiel, Natalie; Londrigan, Laura (2019-07-19). "Genetic Associations between Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels and Psychiatric Disorders". International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 20 (14): 3537. doi:10.3390/ijms20143537. ISSN 1422-0067. PMC 6679227. PMID 31331039.
  14. An, Mary T.; Zamponi, Gerald W. (2005), "Voltage-Dependent Inactivation of Voltage Gated Calcium Channels", Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels, Molecular Biology Intelligence Unit, Springer US, pp. 194–204, doi:10.1007/0-387-27526-6_12, ISBN 978-0-306-47840-6
  15. Lee, Seungkyu (2013-11-30). "Pharmacological Inhibition of Voltage-gated Ca2+ Channels for Chronic Pain Relief". Current Neuropharmacology. 11 (6): 606–620. doi:10.2174/1570159x11311060005. PMC 3849787. PMID 24396337.
  16. Chen, Haiwen; Tang, Ai-Hui; Blanpied, Thomas A (2018-08-01). "Subsynaptic spatial organization as a regulator of synaptic strength and plasticity". Current Opinion in Neurobiology. Cellular Neuroscience. 51: 147–153. doi:10.1016/j.conb.2018.05.004. ISSN 0959-4388. PMC 6295321. PMID 29902592.
  17. Biederer, Thomas; Kaeser, Pascal S.; Blanpied, Thomas A. (2017-11-01). "Trans-cellular nano-alignment of synaptic function". Neuron. 96 (3): 680–696. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2017.10.006. ISSN 0896-6273. PMC 5777221. PMID 29096080.
  18. "National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Board of Scientific Counselors". National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
  19. "Curriculum Vitae, Diane Lipscombe PhD" (PDF).
  20. "MDCN | NIH Center for Scientific Review". public.csr.nih.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  21. "First in the World Program". www2.ed.gov. 2016-06-15. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  22. "Neuroscience (Section V) | American Association for the Advancement of Science". www.aaas.org. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
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