Academic background
Current role – Assistant Professor
Previous experiences:
10/2024–05/2025 Adjunct Professor, Humanitas University (Milan, Italy)
04/2021–present Junior Group Leader, Lovisa Lab, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
04/2020–03/2021 Research Fellow, Danese Lab, Dept. of Gastroenterology, Humanitas Research Hospital (Milan, Italy)
02/2013–02/2020 Post-doctoral Fellow, Kalluri Lab, Dept. of Cancer Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX)
06/2012–01/2013 Post-doctoral Intern, Baldassarre Lab, Dept. of Experimental Oncology 2, CRO National Cancer Institute (Aviano, Italy)
01/2009–05/2012 Ph.D. Student, Baldassarre Lab, Dept. of Experimental Oncology 2, CRO National Cancer Institute (Aviano, Italy)
03/2007–12/2008 M.Sc. Candidate and Pre-doctoral Fellow, Baldassarre Lab, Dept. of Experimental Oncology 2, CRO National Cancer Institute (Aviano, Italy)
Education
2012 Ph.D. in Clinical Science and Technology, University of Udine (Italy)
2008 M.Sc. in Medical Biotechnology, University of Padua (Italy)
2005 B.S. in Health Biotechnology, University of Padua (Italy)
Honors and awards
2025 Young Investigator Grant, Italian Ministry of University and Research
2023 Scholarship award, Columbia University
2021 AIRC Start-Up Grant
2021 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship
2020 Umberto Veronesi Foundation Fellowship
2019 MD Anderson Postdoctoral Travel Award
2019 Thomas H. and Mayme P. Scott Endowed Fellowship in Cancer Research
2017 Hogan Lovells ISSNAF Young Investigator Award Finalist
Membership and leadership roles
2024–present Member, The Association of Cell Biology and Differentiation (ABCD)
2022–present Executive Committee Member, The EMT International Association
2022–present Member, The Italian Cancer Society (SIC)
2020–present Founder member, Italian Pancreatic Cancer Community (IPCC)
Our laboratory studies the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying tissue damage, fibrosis and inflammation-induced neoplastic transformation.
Our main research areas are:
- Role of epithelial plasticity in tissue injury, regeneration and fibrosis
- Role of epithelial plasticity in the onset of inflammation-induced cancer
- Interplay between epithelial plasticity and inflammatory memory
- Targeting fibrosis-associated fibroblasts
- Profile the fibrotic landscape in pre-neoplastic lesions.
Carstens JL, Lovisa S. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition drives cancer genomic instability. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 2025 Apr 30;44(1):135.
LeBleu VS, Kanasaki K, Lovisa S, Alge JL, Kim J, Chen Y, Teng Y, Gerami-Naini B, Sugimoto H, Kato N, Revuelta I, Grau N, Sleeman JP, Taduri G, Kizu A, Rafii S, Hochedlinger K, Quaggin SE, Kalluri R. Genetic reprogramming with stem cells regenerates glomerular epithelial podocytes in Alport syndrome. Life Sci Alliance 2024 April 1;7(6):e202402664.
Chen Y, Yang S, Lovisa S, Ambrose C, McAndrews KM, Sugimoto H, Kalluri R. Type I collagen produced by distinct fibroblast lineages reveals specific functions during embryogenesis and Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Nat Commun 2021 Dec 10;12(1):7199.
Lovisa S, Fletcher-Sananikone E, Sugimoto H, Hensel J, Lahiri S, Hertig A, Taduri G, Lawson E, Dewar R, Revuelta I, Kato N, Wu C-J, Bassett RL, Putluri N, Zeisberg M, Zeisberg EM, LeBleu VS, Kalluri R. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition compromises vascular integrity to induce Myc-mediated metabolic reprogramming in kidney fibrosis. Sci Signal 2020 Jun 9;13(635).
Lovisa S, LeBleu VS, Tampe B, Sugimoto H, Vadnagara K, Carstens JL, Wu CC, Hagos Y, Burckhardt BC, Pentcheva-Hoang T, Nischal H, Allison JP, Zeisberg M, Kalluri R. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition induces cell cycle arrest and parenchymal damage in renal fibrosis. Nat Med 2015 Sept;21(9):998-1009.