Giordano Lippi

Giordano Lippi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), located at the Dorris Neuroscience Center in La Jolla, California. He is also affiliated with UC San Diego's Neurosciences Graduate Program. His research focuses on understanding how non-coding RNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), regulate neuronal development and function, with implications for neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.

Dr. Lippi's work combines molecular biology and circuit neuroscience to identify gene programs critical for stable neural network formation. His lab has developed cutting-edge tools, including a peptide for reversible miRNA inhibition and mouse models to map miRNA-target interactions in rare neuronal subtypes. These innovations enable precise investigation of miRNA roles in neuronal identity, synaptic plasticity, and network stability.

• Key Research Themes: miRNA regulation of neuronal diversity, miRNA roles in critical developmental windows, evolution of miRNA functions in primates.
• Awards: Whitehall Foundation Award (2018), MRC Career Development Fellowship (2006), EMBO Short-Term Fellowship (2005).
• Lab Affiliations: Dorris Neuroscience Center (TSRI), UCSD Neurosciences Graduate Program.

His recent publications highlight discoveries such as miRNA-218's role in hippocampal network assembly and miRNA necessity for Purkinje cell identity. Ongoing projects explore evolutionary functions of primate-specific miRNAs and their impact on cognitive abilities.