ASN 2026 Plenary Speakers

Diane Lipscombe is the Reliance Dhirubhai Ambani Director of the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science and the Thomas J Watson Jr. Professor of Science in the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University.

Lipscombe studies ion channel regulation and function with particular focus on neuronal voltage-gated calcium ion channels in health and disease including chronic pain and neurological disorders. Lipscombe has uncovered molecular mechanisms that control the form and the function of calcium ion channels in different cell-types and disease states. The lab has shown that one class of calcium ion channel, Cacna1b gene, underlies dynamic changes in the responsiveness of nerves innervating the skin to heat. Pharmacological inhibition of these channels inhibits heat hypersensitivity associated with neuroinflammation and cytokine release. Lipscombe has also defined the molecular mechanisms that underlie cell-specific and developmentally regulated expression of functionally and pharmacologically distinct splice isoforms. The Lab is funded by NINDS.

Lipscombe is a past President of the Society for Neuroscience, member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and honorary fellow of the Physiological Society (London, UK). At Brown, Lipscombe participates in student teaching and mentorship and numerous governance roles. Lipscombe chaired the Task Force on the Status of Women Faculty at Brown and has received several awards including the Harriet W Sheridan Award for Distinguished Contribution to Teaching and Brown’s Distinguished Research Achievement Award.

More info to come.

Dr. Lu has been interested in neuroscience and cancer biology to uncover the mechanisms and pathways underlying neurological disorders and cancer. His current research focuses on 1) how distinct glial cell types such as myelinating oligodendrocytes and their progenitor cells contribute to neurological diseases, and 2) how dysregulated developmental programs and tumor microenvironment cross-communications contribute to brain tumorigenesis, recurrence and metastasis.

During his postdoctoral work at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School, Dr. Lu discovered a pair of bHLH transcription factors, Olig1 and Olig2, which are critical for oligodendrocyte lineage development and myelination. These findings have set a key milestone in understanding the molecular mechanisms of gliogenesis and brain tumorigenesis. Dr. Lu’s work as an independent investigator, starting at UT Southwestern and then at Cincinnati Children’s, has used a combination of state-of-the-art molecular genetic approaches and adopted novel concepts to address the mechanisms underlying neurological diseases including demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis and autism spectrum disorders as well as brain tumorigenesis. My lab has a strong translational theme with two major directions: 1) development of novel therapeutics for promoting myelin repair to treat neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis; 2) development of targeted therapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy to treat brain tumors such as medulloblastoma and malignant gliomas, including glioblastoma and diffuse midline gliomas (DMG/DIPG). Our research goals include dissecting the etiological mechanisms of these neurological diseases and cancers to develop effective therapies by promoting functional regeneration while blocking brain tumorigenesis and recurrence. Dr Lu is the recipient of several awards, including Javits Neuroscience Award from the NIH-National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Harry Weaver Neuroscience Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Best Research Award at the Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center.