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
Academic Appointments
- 2021 – present: Junior Group Leader, Lovisa Lab, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy
- 2024 – 2025: Adjunct Professor, Humanitas University, Milan, Italy
- 2020 – 2021: Research Fellow, Danese Lab, Dept. of Gastroenterology, Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy
- 2013 – 2020: Post-doctoral Fellow, Kalluri Lab, Dept. of Cancer Biology, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
- 2012 – 2013: Post-doctoral Intern, Baldassarre Lab, Dept. of Experimental Oncology 2, CRO National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
- 2009 – 2012: Ph.D. Student, Baldassarre Lab, Dept. of Experimental Oncology 2, CRO National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
- 2007 – 2008: M.Sc. Candidate and Pre-doctoral Fellow, Baldassarre Lab, Dept. of Experimental Oncology 2, CRO National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
Membership and Affiliations
- 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)
Awards and Honors
- 2019: Thomas H. and Mayme P. Scott Endowed Fellowship in Cancer Research
- 2017: Hogan Lovells ISSNAF Young Investigator Award Finalist
- 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
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.