Richard L Lieber

Richard (Rick) L. Lieber (born December 14, 1956) is an American scientist in the field of muscle physiology who is an internationally recognized expert in skeletal muscle structure and function. His research focuses on skeletal muscle properties in individuals with neurological disorders such as spinal cord injury or cerebral palsy to identify targets for therapeutic interventions.

Early life and education Dr. Lieber was born in Walnut Creek, California, the son of a big band musician and hospital administrator. He completed a B.S. in physiology in 1978 at University of California, Davis. In 1983, he earned his Ph.D. in biophysics from University of California, Davis, applied a theory of light diffraction to study mechanical properties of muscle cells and was one of the first to use the Intel 8080 microprocessor to control a biological system in real-time. He received his M.B.A. in 2013 from Rady School of Management, University of California, San Diego.

Career Lieber started his career as a Biomedical Engineer at the Veterans Administration Medical Center (1983) and then started in academia at UC San Diego (1985). Notably, he holds the position of Chief Scientific Officer at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago), a nationally recognized translational rehabilitation research hospital.

Research Lieber has published over 350 articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals ranging from basic science such as The Journal of Cell Biology to clinical research such as The Journal of Hand Surgery. He is an established expert in using biological approaches to understand muscle contractures in neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy, stroke and spinal cord injury. Lieber's work includes the development of pharmacological and surgical interventions to improve muscle function in individuals with neurological conditions. He has made significant contributions to the field of muscle physiology in the area of in vivo muscle measurements, and he is highly referenced in scientific journals. His most often cited paper is "Functional and clinical significance of skeletal muscle architecture" in the peer-reviewed journal Muscle & Nerve with 1447 citations. His work has over 34,000 citations in the scientific community and his h-index is 91. In addition to his publications in peer-reviewed journals, he authored the textbook, "Skeletal Muscle Structure, Function, and Plasticity," which explores basic and applied physiological properties of skeletal muscle.

Distinctions Lieber's career is marked by significant professional collaborations with international colleagues and organizations, including Jan Fridén, M.D., Ph.D. at University of Gothenburg, Eva Pontén at the Karolinska Institute, and Allistair Rothwell at Christ Church, New Zealand.

Lieber also serves as a member of the scientific advisory board of the NFL and has six patents on surgical techniques, methods to measure muscle fibers, and methods to administer stimulation to skeletal muscles

Awards and honors Lieber has received a number of awards and honors throughout his career. These include:

Elsass Foundation Research Prize, June 2023

Paul B. Magnuson Award, Rehabilitation Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs, March 2023

Goel Award for Translational Biomechanics, North American Congress on Biomechanics (NACOB), American Society for Biomechanics, August 2022, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Lifetime Achievement Award, American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, 2021

Fellow, Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), November 2020

Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), March 2019

Hay Award in Sport Biomechanics, American Society of Biomechanics, August 2017

Honorary Member, American Physical Therapy Association, February 2015

Founders Award, American College of Sports Medicine (Southwest Chapter), October 2014.

Gayle G. Arnold Award, American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, October 2013

Fellow, American Society for Biomechanics, July 2012

Outstanding Research Award, International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (ISSLS), Göteborg, Sweden. June 2011.

Giovanni Borelli Award, American Society of Biomechanics, August, 2007.

The Göteborg University Medal, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, June 2007.

Nicolas Andry Award, American Bone and Joint Surgeons, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, May 2002

Fellow, American College of Sports Medicine, March, 1994.

Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, February 1994.

Lieber, R.L. and R.J. Baskin. (1983). Intersarcomere dynamics of single skeletal muscle fibers during fixed-end tetani. J. Gen. Physiol. 82:347-364. PMC2228698. Lieber, R.L., R.J. Baskin and Y. Yeh. (1984). Sarcomere length determination using laser diffraction: effect of beam and fiber diameter. Biophys. J. 45:1007-1016. PMC1434983. Lieber RL, Yeh Y, Baskin RJ. Sarcomere length determination using laser diffraction. Effect of beam and fiber diameter. Biophysical Journal. 1984;45:1007-16 Lieber, R.L. and J.L. Boakes. (1988). Sarcomere length and joint kinematics during torque production in the frog hindlimb. Am. J. Physiol. 254:C759-C768. PMID3259840 Lieber, R.L. and F.T. Blevins. (1989). Skeletal muscle architecture of the rabbit hindlimb: Functional implications of muscle design. J. Morphol. 199:93-101. PMID2921772 Lieber, R.L., M.E. Leonard, C.G. Brown, and C.L. Trestik. (1991). Frog semitendinosis tendon load-strain and stress-strain properties during passive loading. Am. J. Physiol. 261:C86-C92. PMID1858862 Lieber, R.L., Raab, R., Kashin, S. and V.R. Edgerton (1992). Sarcomere length changes during fish swimming. J. Exp. Biol. 169:251-254. PMID11536506 Lieber RL, Baskin RJ, Yeh Y. (1984). Sarcomere length determination using laser diffraction: effect of beam and fiber diameter. Biophys. J. 45:1007-1016. PMC 434983 Lieber, R.L. G.J. Loren and J. Fridén. (1994). In vivo measurement of human wrist extensor muscle sarcomere length changes. J. Neurophysiol. 71:874-881. PMID8201427 Sam M, Shah S, Fridén J, Milner DJ, Capetanaki Y, Lieber RL. (2000). Desmin knockout muscles generate lower stress and are less vulnerable to injury compared to wildtype muscles. Am. J. Physiol. 279:C1116-1122. PMID 1003592. Sam, M., S. Shah, J. Fridén, D.J. Milner, Y. Capetanaki and R.L. Lieber. (2000). Desmin knockout muscles generate lower stress and are less vulnerable to injury compared to wildtype muscles. Am. J. Physiol. 279:C1116-1122. PMID11003592 Lieber, R.L. and J. Fridén. (2002). Spasticity causes a fundamental rearrangement of muscle-joint interaction. Muscle & Nerve 25:265-270. PMID11870696 Lieber, R.L., J. Fridén, T. Hobbs, A.G. Rothwell. (2003). Analysis of posterior deltoid function one year after surgical restoration of elbow extension. J. Hand. Surg. (Am.) 28A:288-293. PMID 12671862. Patel, T.J., R. Das, J. Fridén, G.J. Lutz and R.L. Lieber. (2004). Sarcomere strain and heterogeneity correlate with injury to frog skeletal muscle fiber bundles. J. Appl. Physiol. 97:1803-1813. PMID15208284 Lieber, R.L., W. Murray, D.L. Clark, V.R. Hentz and J. Fridén. (2005). Biomechanical properties of the brachioradialis muscle: Implications for surgical tendon transfer. J. Hand Surg. (Am.) 30:273-282. PMID15781349. Hentzen, E.R., M. Lahey, D. Peters, L. Mathew, I.A. Barash, J. Fridén and R.L. Lieber. (2006). Stress-dependent and -independent expression of the myogenic regulatory factors and the MARP genes after eccentric contractions in rats. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 570:157-167. PMC1464283 Smith, L.R., K.S. Lee, S.R. Ward, H.G. Chambers, R.L. Lieber. (2011) Hamstring contractures in children with spastic cerebral palsy result from a stiffer ECM and increased in vivo sarcomere length. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 589:2625-2639. PMID 21486759. Palmisano, M.G., S.N. Bremner, S. Huang, A.A. Domenighetti, T. Hornberger, S.B. Shah, M. Kellermeyer, A.F. Ryan, and R.L. Lieber. (2014). Skeletal muscle intermediate filaments act as a stress-transmitting and stress-transducing signaling network. J. Cell Sci.128:219-224. PMC4294770 Young KW, Radic S, Myslivets E, Lieber RL. (2014). Resonant reflection spectroscopy of biomolecular arrays in muscle. Biophys. J. 107:2352-2360. PMID 25418304. Young, K.W., S. Radic, E. Myslivets, and R.L. Lieber. (2014). Resonant reflection spectroscopy of biomolecular arrays in muscle. Biophys. J. 107:2352-2360. PMC4241457. Palmisano, M.G., S.N. Bremner, A.A. Domenighetti, T. Hornberger, S.B. Shah, M. Kellermeyer, A.F. Ryan, and R.L. Lieber. (2014). Skeletal muscle intermediate filaments act as a stress-transmitting and stress-transducing signaling network. J. Cell Sci. 128:219-224. PMID 25413344. Mathewson, M.A., S.R. Ward, H.G. Chambers and R.L. Lieber. (2014). High resolution muscle measurements provide insight into equinus contracture in patients with cerebral palsy. J. Orthop Res. 33:33-39. PMC2903973 Young, K.W., B.P.P Kuo, S.M. O'Connor, S. Radic and R.L. Lieber. (2017). In vivo sarcomere length measurement in whole muscles during passive stretch and twitch contractions. Biophys. J. 112:805-812. PMID 28256239. Domenighetti, A., M.A. Mathewson, R. Pichika, L. Zhao, H.G. Chambers and R.L. Lieber. (2018). Loss of myogenic potential and fusion capacity of satellite cells isolated from contractured muscle in children with cerebral palsy. Am. J. Physiol. 315:C247-C257. PMID 29694232.