Joseph P. Mizgerd, ScD
Professor, Medicine

Biography
Our work focuses on immunology in the lung and its influence on acute lower respiratory tract infections. Our research is illuminating the regulation and function of innate and adaptive immune cells and signals in the lung, and how variations in these parameters determine pneumonia susceptibility and outcome. Lung defense consists of immune resistance (the ability to eliminate microbes) and tissue resilience (the ability to prevent or withstand injurious stimuli from infection and inflammation). Both activities are accomplished by the coordinated activities of diverse cell types within the lung, involving some that are constitutively present (including diverse types of epithelial cells, macrophages, lymphocytes, and more) as well as others newly recruited to the infected tissue (including neutrophils plus additional myeloid or lymphoid cells). Effective and productive communication amongst these cells can efficiently destroy microbes without damaging the lung, maintaining respiratory health. Dysregulation of these pathways instead promotes infection (e.g., pneumonia), injury (e.g., the acute respiratory distress syndrome), and other pulmonary diseases. Elucidating factors that differentiate lung infection resistance and susceptibility will enable new approaches to preventing and treating pneumonia.
Other Positions
- Director, Pulmonary Center, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
- Professor, Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
- Professor, Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
- Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research, Boston University
- Member, Genome Science Institute, Boston University
- Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students), Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences
Education
- Harvard School of Public Health, ScD
- Amherst College, BA
Publications
- Published on 8/1/2023
Aihara F, Wang Y, Belkina AC, Fearns R, Mizgerd JP, Feng F, Kepler TB. Diversity of B Cell Populations and Ig Repertoire in Human Lungs. J Immunol. 2023 Aug 01; 211(3):486-496. PMID: 37314411.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 5/1/2023
Center DM, Mizgerd JP. In Memoriam: Jerome S. Brody, M.D., A Red Journal Founder. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2023 May; 68(5):465-466. PMID: 36780672.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/8/2022
Korkmaz FT, Shenoy AT, Symer EM, Baird LA, Odom CV, Arafa EI, Dimbo EL, Na E, Molina-Arocho W, Brudner M, Standiford TJ, Mehta JL, Sawamura T, Jones MR, Mizgerd JP, Traber KE, Quinton LJ. Lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 attenuates pneumonia-induced lung injury. JCI Insight. 2022 Dec 08; 7(23). PMID: 36264633.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/16/2022
Serrano GE, Walker JE, Tremblay C, Piras IS, Huentelman MJ, Belden CM, Goldfarb D, Shprecher D, Atri A, Adler CH, Shill HA, Driver-Dunckley E, Mehta SH, Caselli R, Woodruff BK, Haarer CF, Ruhlen T, Torres M, Nguyen S, Schmitt D, Rapscak SZ, Bime C, Peters JL, Alevritis E, Arce RA, Glass MJ, Vargas D, Sue LI, Intorcia AJ, Nelson CM, Oliver J, Russell A, Suszczewicz KE, Borja CI, Cline MP, Hemmingsen SJ, Qiji S, Hobgood HM, Mizgerd JP, Sahoo MK, Zhang H, Solis D, Montine TJ, Berry GJ, Reiman EM, Röltgen K, Boyd SD, Pinsky BA, Zehnder JL, Talbot P, Desforges M, DeTure M, Dickson DW, Beach TG. SARS-CoV-2 Brain Regional Detection, Histopathology, Gene Expression, and Immunomodulatory Changes in Decedents with COVID-19. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 2022 Aug 16; 81(9):666-695. PMID: 35818336.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 3/8/2022
Arafa EI, Shenoy AT, Barker KA, Etesami NS, Martin IM, Lyon De Ana C, Na E, Odom CV, Goltry WN, Korkmaz FT, Wooten AK, Belkina AC, Guillon A, Forsberg EC, Jones MR, Quinton LJ, Mizgerd JP. Recruitment and training of alveolar macrophages after pneumococcal pneumonia. JCI Insight. 2022 Mar 08; 7(5). PMID: 35133985.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/9/2022
Na E, Allen E, Baird LA, Odom CV, Korkmaz FT, Shenoy AT, Matschulat AM, Jones MR, Kotton DN, Mizgerd JP, Varelas X, Traber KE, Quinton LJ. Epithelial LIF signaling limits apoptosis and lung injury during bacterial pneumonia. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2022 Apr 01; 322(4):L550-L563. PMID: 35137631.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/7/2022
Sanders NL, Martin IMC, Sharma A, Jones MR, Quinton LJ, Bosmann M, Mizgerd JP. Neutrophil Extracellular Traps as an Exacerbating Factor in Bacterial Pneumonia. Infect Immun. 2022 03 17; 90(3):e0049121. PMID: 35130455.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 2/1/2022
Kulkarni HS, Lee JS, Bastarache JA, Kuebler WM, Downey GP, Albaiceta GM, Altemeier WA, Artigas A, Bates JHT, Calfee CS, Dela Cruz CS, Dickson RP, Englert JA, Everitt JI, Fessler MB, Gelman AE, Gowdy KM, Groshong SD, Herold S, Homer RJ, Horowitz JC, Hsia CCW, Kurahashi K, Laubach VE, Looney MR, Lucas R, Mangalmurti NS, Manicone AM, Martin TR, Matalon S, Matthay MA, McAuley DF, McGrath-Morrow SA, Mizgerd JP, Montgomery SA, Moore BB, Noël A, Perlman CE, Reilly JP, Schmidt EP, Skerrett SJ, Suber TL, Summers C, Suratt BT, Takata M, Tuder R, Uhlig S, Witzenrath M, Zemans RL, Matute-Bello G. Update on the Features and Measurements of Experimental Acute Lung Injury in Animals: An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2022 02; 66(2):e1-e14. PMID: 35103557.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 1/11/2022
Murray MP, Crosby CM, Marcovecchio P, Hartmann N, Chandra S, Zhao M, Khurana A, Zahner SP, Clausen BE, Coleman FT, Mizgerd JP, Mikulski Z, Kronenberg M. Stimulation of a subset of natural killer T cells by CD103+ DC is required for GM-CSF and protection from pneumococcal infection. Cell Rep. 2022 01 11; 38(2):110209. PMID: 35021099.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 12/2/2021
Shenoy AT, Lyon De Ana C, Barker KA, Arafa EI, Martin IMC, Mizgerd JP, Belkina AC. CPHEN-011: Comprehensive phenotyping of murine lung resident lymphocytes after recovery from pneumococcal pneumonia. Cytometry A. 2022 Nov; 101(11):892-902. PMID: 34854229.
Read at: PubMed
View 128 more publications: View full profile at BUMC