Marcus G. Pezzolesi

Marcus G. Pezzolesi, PhD, MPH

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Internal Medicine , Adjunct - Human Genetics

Divisions: Nephrology & Hypertension

Dr. Marcus Pezzolesi is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the University of Utah’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension and its Diabetes and Metabolism Center and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Genetics. After attending the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, he completed his Ph.D. training in Biological Sciences, with a focus on Human Genetics, at The Ohio State University followed by a Master’s of Public Health in Quantitative Methods at the Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his post-doctoral training as a member of the Joslin Diabetes Center’s Section on Genetics and Epidemiology and as an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Education History

Graduate Training Harvard School of Public Health
 MPH
Research Fellow Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School
 Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Fellowship Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic
 Predoctoral Research Fellow
Doctoral Training Ohio State University
 PhD
Graduate Training Northeastern University
 Graduate Certificate
Undergraduate University of Massachusetts Amherst
 BS

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Ibrahim A, Lin E, Hinckley M, Khalighi M, Altawallbeh Z, Al-Rabadi D, Al-Hassanat Z, Pezzolesi MG, Gregory MC, Al-Rabadi L (2025). Renal Phenotype Variations Among Families with Autosomal Alport Syndrome: Potential Role of Modifier Genes. Kidney360. (Read full article)
  2. Giuffrida FMA, Rai SK, Tang Y, Mendona C, Frodsham SG, Shah HS, Pezzolesi MG, Sun Q, Doria A (2024). Low-frequency variants in genes involved in glutamic acid metabolism and γ-glutamyl cycle and risk of coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes. Cardiovasc Diabetol, 23(1), 406. (Read full article)
  3. Ihara K, Satake E, Wilson PC, Krolewski B, Kobayashi H, Md Dom ZI, Ricca J, Wilson J, Dreyfuss JM, Niewczas MA, Doria A, Nelson RG, Pezzolesi MG, Humphreys BD, Duffin K, Krolewski AS (2024). Circulating proteins linked to apoptosis processes and fast development of end-stage kidney disease in diabetes. JCI Insight, 9(20). (Read full article)
  4. Satake E, Krolewski B, Kobayashi H, Md Dom ZI, Ricca J, Wilson JM, Hoon DS, Duffin KL, Pezzolesi MG, Krolewski AS (2024). Preanalytical considerations in quantifying circulating miRNAs that predict end-stage kidney disease in diabetes. JCI Insight, 9(12). (Read full article)
  5. Chen Z, Satake E, Pezzolesi MG, Md Dom ZI, Stucki D, Kobayashi H, Syreeni A, Johnson AT, Wu X, Dahlstrm EH, King JB, Groop PH, Rich SS, Sandholm N, Krolewski AS, Natarajan R (2024). Integrated analysis of blood DNA methylation, genetic variants, circulating proteins, microRNAs, and kidney failure in type 1 diabetes. Sci Transl Med, 16(748), eadj3385. (Read full article)
  6. Simeone CA, Wilkerson JL, Poss AM, Banks JA, Varre JV, Guevara JL, Hernandez EJ, Gorsi B, Atkinson DL, Turapov T, Frodsham SG, Morales JCF, ONeil K, Moore B, Yandell M, Summers SA, Krolewski AS, Holland WL, Pezzolesi MG (2022). A dominant negative ADIPOQ mutation in a diabetic family with renal disease, hypoadiponectinemia, and hyperceramidemia. NPJ Genom Med, 7(1), 43. (Read full article)
  7. Qeadan F, Tingey B, Egbert J, Pezzolesi MG, Burge MR, Peterson KA, Honda T (2022). The associations between COVID-19 diagnosis, type 1 diabetes, and the risk of diabetic ketoacidosis: A nationwide cohort from the US using the Cerner Real-World Data. PLoS One, 17(4), e0266809. (Read full article)
  8. Mychaleckyj JC, Valo E, Ichimura T, Ahluwalia TS, Dina C, Miller RG, Shabalin IG, Gyorgy B, Cao J, Onengut-Gumuscu S, Satake E, Smiles AM, Haukka JK, Tregouet DA, Costacou T, ONeil K, Paterson AD, Forsblom C, Keenan HA, Pezzolesi MG, Pragnell M, Galecki A, Rich SS, Sandholm N, Klein R, Klein BE, Susztak K, Orchard TJ, Korstanje R, King GL, Hadjadj S, Rossing P, Bonventre JV, Groop PH, Warram JH, Krolewski AS (2021). Association of Coding Variants in Hydroxysteroid 17-beta Dehydrogenase 14 (HSD17B14) with Reduced Progression to End Stage Kidney Disease in Type 1 Diabetes. J Am Soc Nephrol, 32(10), 2634-2651. (Read full article)
  9. Satake E, Saulnier PJ, Kobayashi H, Gupta MK, Looker HC, Wilson JM, Md Dom ZI, Ihara K, ONeil K, Krolewski B, Pipino C, Pavkov ME, Nair V, Bitzer M, Niewczas MA, Kretzler M, Mauer M, Doria A, Najafian B, Kulkarni RN, Duffin KL, Pezzolesi MG, Kahn CR, Nelson RG, Krolewski AS (2021). Comprehensive Search for Novel Circulating miRNAs and Axon Guidance Pathway Proteins Associated with Risk of ESKD in Diabetes. J Am Soc Nephrol, 32(9), 2331-2351. (Read full article)
  10. McCullough ML, Wan N, Pezzolesi MG, Collins TW, Grineski SE, Wei YD, Lazaro-Guevara J, Frodsham SG, Vanderslice JA, Holmen JR, Srinivas TR, Clements SA (2021). Type 1 Diabetes incidence among youth in Utah: A geographical analysis. Soc Sci Med, 278, 113952. (Read full article)
  11. Lazaro-Guevara J, Fierro-Morales J, Wright AH, Gunville R, Simeone C, Frodsham SG, Pezzolesi MH, Zaffino CA, Al-Rabadi L, Ramkumar N, Pezzolesi MG (2021). Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Identifies Pathogenic Variants in Diabetic Kidney Disease. Am J Nephrol, 52(3), 1-11. (Read full article)
  12. Usuelli V, Ben Nasr M, DAddio F, Liu K, Vergani A, El Essawy B, Yang J, Assi E, Uehara M, Rossi C, Solini A, Capobianco A, Rigamonti E, Potena L, Venturini M, Sabatino M, Bottarelli L, Ammirati E, Frigerio M, Castillo-Leon E, Maestroni A, Azzoni C, Loretelli C, Joe Seelam A, Tai AK, Pastore I, Becchi G, Corradi D, Visner GA, Zuccotti GV, Chau NB, Abdi R, Pezzolesi MG, Fiorina P (2021). miR-21 antagonism reprograms macrophage metabolism and abrogates chronic allograft vasculopathy. Am J Transplant. (Read full article)
  13. Nicholson RJ, Pezzolesi MG, Summers SA (2021). Rotten to the Cortex: Ceramide-Mediated Lipotoxicity in Diabetic Kidney Disease. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne), 11, 622692. (Read full article)
  14. Morieri ML, Shah HS, Sjaarda J, Lenzini PA, Campbell H, Motsinger-Reif AA, Gao H, Lovato L, Prudente S, Pandolfi A, Pezzolesi MG, Sigal RJ, Par G, Marcovina SM, Rotroff DM, Patorno E, Mercuri L, Trischitta V, Chew EY, Kraft P, Buse JB, Wagner MJ, Cresci S, Gerstein HC, Ginsberg HN, Mychaleckyj JC, Doria A (2020). PPARA Polymorphism Influences the Cardiovascular Benefit of Fenofibrate in Type 2 Diabetes: Findings From ACCORD-Lipid. Diabetes, 69(4), 771-783. (Read full article)
  15. Salem RM, Todd JN, Sandholm N, Cole JB, Chen WM, Andrews D, Pezzolesi MG, McKeigue PM, Hiraki LT, Qiu C, Nair V, Di Liao C, Cao JJ, Valo E, Onengut-Gumuscu S, Smiles AM, McGurnaghan SJ, Haukka JK, Harjutsalo V, Brennan EP, van Zuydam N, Ahlqvist E, Doyle R, Ahluwalia TS, Lajer M, Hughes MF, Park J, Skupien J, Spiliopoulou A, Liu A, Menon R, Boustany-Kari CM, Kang HM, Nelson RG, Klein R, Klein BE, Lee KE, Gao X, Mauer M, Maestroni S, Caramori ML, de Boer IH, Miller RG, Guo J, Boright AP, Tregouet D, Gyorgy B, Snell-Bergeon JK, Maahs DM, Bull SB, Canty AJ, Palmer CNA, Stechemesser L, Paulweber B, Weitgasser R, Sokolovska J, Rovte V, Prgs V, Prakapiene E, Radzeviciene L, Verkauskiene R, Panduru NM, Groop LC, McCarthy MI, Gu HF, Mllsten A, Falhammar H, Brismar K, Martin F, Rossing P, Costacou T, Zerbini G, Marre M, Hadjadj S, McKnight AJ, Forsblom C, McKay G, Godson C, Maxwell AP, Kretzler M, Susztak K, Colhoun HM, Krolewski A, Paterson AD, Groop PH, Rich SS, Hirschhorn JN, Florez JC, SUMMIT Consortium DCCTEDIC Research Group GENIE Consortium (2019). Genome-Wide Association Study of Diabetic Kidney Disease Highlights Biology Involved in Glomerular Basement Membrane Collagen. J Am Soc Nephrol, 30(10), 2000-2016. (Read full article)
  16. Yu MG, Keenan HA, Shah HS, Frodsham SG, Pober D, He Z, Wolfson EA, DEon S, Tinsley LJ, Bonner-Weir S, Pezzolesi MG, King GL (2019). Residual β cell function and monogenic variants in long-duration type 1 diabetes patients. J Clin Invest, 129(8), 3252-3263. (Read full article)
  17. Jungtrakoon P, Shirakawa J, Buranasupkajorn P, Gupta MK, De Jesus DF, Pezzolesi MG, Panya A, Hastings T, Chanprasert C, Mendonca C, Kulkarni RN, Doria A (2019). Loss-of-Function Mutation in Thiamine Transporter 1 in a Family With Autosomal Dominant Diabetes. Diabetes, 68(5), 1084-1093. (Read full article)
  18. Frodsham SG, Yu Z, Lyons AM, Agarwal A, Pezzolesi MH, Dong L, Srinivas TR, Ying J, Greene T, Raphael KL, Smith KR, Pezzolesi MG (2018). The Familiality of Rapid Renal Decline in Diabetes. Diabetes, 68(2), 420-429. (Read full article)
  19. Skupien J, Smiles AM, Valo E, Ahluwalia TS, Gyorgy B, Sandholm N, Croall S, Lajer M, McDonnell K, Forsblom C, Harjutsalo V, Marre M, Galecki AT, Tregouet DA, Wu CY, Mychaleckyj JC, Nickerson H, Pragnell M, Rich SS, Pezzolesi MG, Hadjadj S, Rossing P, Groop PH, Krolewski AS (2018). Variations in Risk of End-Stage Renal Disease and Risk of Mortality in an International Study of Patients With Type 1 Diabetes and Advanced Nephropathy. Diabetes Care, 42(1), 93-101. (Read full article)
  20. Li M, Pezzolesi MG (2018). Advances in understanding the genetic basis of diabetic kidney disease. Acta Diabetol, 55(11), 1093-1104. (Read full article)
  21. Tezza S, Ben Nasr M, DAddio F, Vergani A, Usuelli V, Falzoni S, Bassi R, Dellepiane S, Fotino C, Rossi C, Maestroni A, Solini A, Corradi D, Giani E, Mameli C, Bertuzzi F, Pezzolesi MG, Wasserfall CH, Atkinson MA, Fchtbauer EM, Ricordi C, Folli F, Di Virgilio F, Pileggi A, Dhe-Paganon S, Zuccotti GV, Fiorina P (2018). Islet-Derived eATP Fuels Autoreactive CD8+ T Cells and Facilitates the Onset of Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes, 67(10), 2038-2053. (Read full article)
  22. van Zuydam NR, Ahlqvist E, Sandholm N, Deshmukh H, Rayner NW, Abdalla M, Ladenvall C, Ziemek D, Fauman E, Robertson NR, McKeigue PM, Valo E, Forsblom C, Harjutsalo V, Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study FinnDiane, Perna A, Rurali E, Marcovecchio ML, Igo RP Jr, Salem RM, Perico N, Lajer M, Krjmki A, Imamura M, Kubo M, Takahashi A, Sim X, Liu J, van Dam RM, Jiang G, Tam CHT, Luk AOY, Lee HM, Lim CKP, Szeto CC, So WY, Chan JCN, Hong Kong Diabetes Registry Theme-based Research Scheme Project Group, Ang SF, Dorajoo R, Wang L, Clara TSH, McKnight AJ, Duffy S, Warren 3 and Genetics of Kidneys in Diabetes GoKinD Study Group, Pezzolesi MG, GENIE GEnetics of Nephropathy an International Effort Consortium, Marre M, Gyorgy B, Hadjadj S, Hiraki LT, Diabetes Control and Complications Trial DCCTEpidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications EDIC Research Group, Ahluwalia TS, Almgren P, Schulz CA, Orho-Melander M, Linneberg A, Christensen C, Witte DR, Grarup N, Brandslund I, Melander O, Paterson AD, Tregouet D, Maxwell AP, Lim SC, Ma RCW, Tai ES, Maeda S, Lyssenko V, Tuomi T, Krolewski AS, Rich SS, Hirschhorn JN, Florez JC, Dunger D, Pedersen O, Hansen T, Rossing P, Remuzzi G, SUrrogate markers for Micro- and Macrovascular hard endpoints for Innovative diabetes Tools SUMMIT Consortium, Brosnan MJ, Palmer CNA, Groop PH, Colhoun HM, Groop LC, McCarthy MI (2018). A Genome-Wide Association Study of Diabetic Kidney Disease in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes, 67(7), 1414-1427. (Read full article)
  23. Roshandel D, Gubitosi-Klug R, Bull SB, Canty AJ, Pezzolesi MG, King GL, Keenan HA, Snell-Bergeon JK, Maahs DM, Klein R, Klein BEK, Orchard TJ, Costacou T, Weedon MN, DCCTEDIC Research Group, Oram RA, Paterson AD (2018). Meta-genome-wide association studies identify a locus on chromosome 1 and multiple variants in the MHC region for serum C-peptide in type 1 diabetes. Diabetologia, 61(5), 1098-1111. (Read full article)
  24. Satake E, Pezzolesi MG, Md Dom ZI, Smiles AM, Niewczas MA, Krolewski AS (2018). Circulating miRNA Profiles Associated With Hyperglycemia in Patients With Type 1 Diabetes. Diabetes, 67(5), 1013-1023. (Read full article)