Spring 2026 Grantee Highlight:
Jonathan Lipton

Jonathan Lipton, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital

Circadian clocks coordinate daily physiology and behavior, aligning biological processes with the 24-hour light-dark cycle. Disruptions to these internal timing systems are linked to aging and a wide range of health conditions. Despite their importance, scientists still do not fully understand how circadian clocks maintain precision and adaptability across changing environments. Jonathan Lipton’s laboratory is investigating a newly identified mechanism that may help explain how circadian function remains robust in different cellular settings.

The Lipton Lab studies a previously unrecognized molecular pathway that appears to strengthen clock activity and support context-specific regulation. Using biochemical, genomic, and physiological approaches, the team will examine how core clock components are organized, how their activity varies among tissues and throughout the day, and how these processes affect protein production and cellular stress responses.

By revealing how biological timing is stabilized at the molecular level, this research could reshape our understanding of circadian control and identify new opportunities to restore clock function in aging and disorders including cancer, neurodegeneration, and neurodevelopmental conditions.

Learn more about the Lipton Lab: https://www.liptonlab.com/