Ethan Lippmann, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Vanderbilt, has been elected a fellow to the distinguished American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), which represents the most accomplished individuals in the fields of medical and biological engineering.
Lippmann’s research applies biomolecular and biomedical engineering strategies to basic science and translational investigations that address the role of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in health and disease. The BBB is a protective boundary between the bloodstream and the brain that acts like a security checkpoint, controlling what can pass from the bloodstream into brain tissue. Lippmann’s work seeks to understand why BBB function becomes altered in different diseases and how this contributes to neurodegeneration. With several colleagues at Vanderbilt, he is also devising strategies to combat neurodegenerative disease.
“I am honored to become a fellow of AIMBE alongside some of my former mentors and current colleagues that I deeply respect,” said Lippmann, who is also associate professor of biomedical engineering. “I am also extremely grateful to the trainees and staff in my lab, past and present, who have contributed to these projects and made these scientific advancements possible.”
In 2024, Lippmann won a Collaborative Pairs Pilot Project Award from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to create a more effective way for the immune system to fight against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
In 2018, he was awarded a five-year, $2.5 million award from CZI to support his goal of better understanding how blood-brain barrier dysfunction impacts neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.