Joseph P. Mizgerd ScD
Professor, Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care Medicine
Director, Pulmonary Center
72 E. Concord Street | (617) 358-1186jmizgerd@bu.edu
Sections
Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep & Critical Care Medicine
Centers
Pulmonary Center
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
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
Education
Cell & Molecular Biology, ScD, Harvard School of Public Health
Biology, BA, Amherst College
Publications
Lee MM, Zuo Y, Steiling K, Mizgerd JP, Kalesan B, Walkey AJ. Clinical risk factors and blood protein biomarkers of 10-year pneumonia risk. medRxiv. 2023 Dec 09. PMID: 38105941.
Published on 9/14/2023Lyon De Ana C, Shenoy AT, Barker KA, Arafa EI, Etesami NS, Korkmaz FT, Soucy AM, Breen MP, Martin IMC, Tilton BR, Devarajan P, Crossland NA, Pihl RMF, Goltry WN, Belkina AC, Jones MR, Quinton LJ, Mizgerd JP. GL7 ligand expression defines a novel subset of CD4+ TRM cells in lungs recovered from pneumococcus. Mucosal Immunol. 2023 Oct; 16(5):699-710. PMID: 37604254.
Published on 9/14/2023Banerji R, Grifno GN, Shi L, Smolen D, LeBourdais R, Muhvich J, Eberman C, Hiller BE, Lee J, Regan K, Zheng S, Zhang S, Jiang J, Raslan AA, Breda JC, Pihl R, Traber K, Mazzilli S, Ligresti G, Mizgerd JP, Suki B, Nia HT. Crystal ribcage: a platform for probing real-time lung function at cellular resolution. Nat Methods. 2023 Nov; 20(11):1790-1801. PMID: 37710017.
Published on 8/1/2023Aihara 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.
Published on 5/1/2023Center 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.
Published on 12/8/2022Korkmaz 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.
Published on 8/16/2022Serrano 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.
Published on 3/8/2022Arafa 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.
Published on 2/9/2022Na 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.
Published on 2/7/2022Sanders 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.
Media Mentions
Published on 10/3/2023
Kilachand Fund Awards Go to Crystal Rib Cage and Brain Connection Projects
Published on 10/6/2021
Epithelial Cells Use MHC-II Molecule to Orchestrate Lung Immunity
Published on 10/6/2021
Scientists tease out role of epithelial cells in lung immunity
Published on 10/6/2021
How Does Lung Immunity Work? Study Identifies Each Cell That Build Respiratory Immune Response
Published on 9/23/2021
MED’s Biology of the Lung Funded through Its 50th—Yes, 50th—Year
Published on 7/1/2021
BU awarded T32 grant to mentor research trainees in lung biology and pulmonary sciences
Published on 2/4/2021
Coronavirus family now a prime suspect in previous pandemics
Published on 11/17/2020
Tonight’s University Lecture: On the Front Lines against COVID in the Lab, Science Will Win
Published on 11/11/2020
Common Cold Coronaviruses Tied to Less Severe COVID-19 Cases
Published on 10/22/2020
Do Colds Offer COVID-19 Protection?
View full list of 12 media mentions.