Giovanni Ligresti, PhD

Associate Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

My laboratory focuses on lung repair and pulmonary fibrosis. We are currently investigating molecular mechanisms implicated in the differentiation of lung fibroblasts into myofibroblasts during lung fibrosis, with particular emphasis on transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms driving persistent fibrogenesis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We have recently discovered that in the lung, myofibroblast differentiation occurs through the engagement of chromatin modifier enzymes and epigenetic readers. We found that the histone methyltransferase G9a and the epigenetic reader CBX5 play a critical role in lung fibroblast activation, and that targeting these epigenetic modifiers enhanced mitochondrial function, blocked ECM protein secretion, and attenuated lung fibrogenesis.
In addition, my laboratory is interested in investigating the impact of aging on the development of pulmonary fibrosis. We have recently discovered that the endothelium of aged mouse lungs is dysfunctional and this abnormality leads to capillary loss and persistent lung fibrosis following injury. Using a multi-omics approach (RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and scRNA-seq) we have identified transcriptional programs in lung endothelial cells orchestrating lung vascular repair and whose abnormal activation with aging leads to persistent lung fibrosis.

Publications

  • Published 5/28/2026

    Muscato G, Roos BB, Harris S, Cai XT, Civettini G, Sciacca E, Raslan A, Castaldi A, Elliot S, Glassberg MK, Vancheri C, Tschumperlin DJ, Ligresti G, Caporarello N. miR-205-5p promotes endothelial dysfunction and senescence in pulmonary fibrosis. JCI Insight. 2026 May 28. PMID: 42207587.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 4/16/2026

    Antar SA, Mensah E, Dahlka J, Renton MC, Raslan AA, Aziz M, Halouani A, Imani S, Parashar A, Johnstone SR, Benezra R, Fraidenraich D, Ligresti G, Sassi Y. Simultaneous inhibition of ID1 and ID3 mitigates fibroblast activation via cell cycle and MEK/ERK pathways in pulmonary fibrosis. Theranostics. 2026; 16(11):6081-6098. PMID: 42094605.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/11/2026

    Gilbert RM, Jones DL, Wellmerling J, Caporarello N, Meridew JA, Choi KM, Haak AJ, Link PA, Tan Q, Lee JH, Ordog T, Ligresti G, Tschumperlin DJ. RUNX1 is a mediator of fibrotic activation and epigenetic memory in lung fibroblasts. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2026 Feb 11. PMID: 41738205.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 10/14/2025

    Grifno GN, Kahvecioglu HA, LeBourdais R, Travnik V, Banerji R, Wangsrikhun W, Shi L, Bozal SB, Suh H, Raslan AA, Batgidis A, Kang B, Deng F, Dalton C, Tsao A, Castle L, Regan K, Kobayter A, Vannini M, Rashidian M, Hao L, Ligresti G, Mizgerd JP, Longest W, Hindle M, Saltzman WM, Butler JP, Suki B, Nia HT. Mosaic pattern: lung functional heterogeneity at the alveolus level. bioRxiv. 2025 Oct 14. PMID: 41279987.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/26/2025

    Antar SA, Mensah E, Dahlka J, Aziz M, Halouani A, Imani S, Parashar A, Raslan AA, Benezra R, Fraidenraich D, Ligresti G, Sassi Y. A Simultaneous Inhibition of ID1 and ID3 Protects Against Pulmonary Fibrosis. bioRxiv. 2025 Jul 26. PMID: 40777426.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 74 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Member, Pulmonary Center
    Boston University
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • University of Trieste, PhD
  • University of Trieste, MS
  • University of Trieste, BS

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