Education
- 21.12.2018 PhD (cum laude) in Industrial Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano
PhD Supervisor Prof. Davide Moscatelli
PhD thesis title: “Biodegradable Thermo-Responsive Polymers for Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering”
- 28.07.2015 Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (grade 110/110 cum laude)
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano
Master thesis title: “Sintesi e caratterizzazione di una nuova classe di polimeri thermoresponsive a base di PEG per applicazioni biomediche”
- 22.07.2013 Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (grade 110/110 cum laude)
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano
Current Positions
- 2023 – Present Tenure-Track Assistant Professor (RTDB)
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano
- 2021 – Present National Scientific Qualification to the function of Associate Professor in Chemical Engineering (sector 09/D2), obtained from the Italian Ministry of University and Research
Previous Positions
- 2020 – 2023 Assistant Professor (RTDA)
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano
- 2022 Editor for the Volume 59 “Process Intensification in the Manufacturing of Biotherapeutics” of the serial Advances in Chemical Engineering published by Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/bookseries/advances-in-chemical-engineering/vol/59/issue/1
- 2020 Editor for the Volume 56 “Advances in Polymer Reaction Engineering” of the serial Advances in Chemical Engineering published by Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/bookseries/advances-in-chemical-engineering/vol/56/issue/1
- 2019 Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zurich
Supervisor: Prof. Massimo Morbidelli
Topic: Purification of monoclonal antibodies by continuous counter-current chromatography
- 2018 – 2019 Research Fellow
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”, Politecnico di Milano
Topic: Synthesis of thermo-responsive cell scaffold materials for the controlled differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells
- 2017 Visiting Research Student
Dainton Building, Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, UK
Supervisor: Prof. Steven P. Armes
Topic: Synthesis and characterization of thermo-responsive worm gels for cell housing
- 2015 Internship
Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano
Research Activity
The research of Mattia Sponchioni is focused on the development of continuous and integrated processes for the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals and on the synthesis of advanced polymer materials for biomedical applications.
With respect to the former, Mattia operates in the conversion of the traditional discontinuous unit operations for the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals to continuous ones, integrating them in an end-to-end process through the aid of digital tools. For the upstream processing, the group is particularly active in the development of continuous perfusion operations at a bench-top scale for the production of microRNA. Here, a process analytical tool based on in situ Raman spectroscopy has been developed to provide quantitative information on the evolution of the cell culture in real time, including viable cell density, substrate and metabolite concentration and product concentration, so that a model-predictive control can be applied. On the other hand, in the downstream processing, the research of Mattia Sponchioni is focused on the development of multicolumn countercurrent chromatographic operations for both capture and polishing of biopharmaceuticals. Collaborations with major biotech companies are in place for the development of multicolumn countercurrent solvent gradient purifications (MCSGP) of new therapeutic modalities like oligonucleotides (in collaboration with YMC Co. LTD) and adeno-associated viral vectors (in collaboration with Merck KGaA).
Mattia Sponchioni is also active in the development of novel polymeric materials combining experimental and modelling activity. A major research area covered by Mattia is the development of thermo-responsive polymer nanoparticles for a controlled and temperature-induced release of active principles after parenteral administration. The polymeric materials developed in the group are also investigated as promising inks to be used in 3D bioprinting applications, where cells are deposited in the desired 3D geometry with the polymeric material providing support and a suitable environment for the cells to grow and proliferate. In particular, Mattia Sponchioni is PI of a grant from Fondazione Cariplo for the development of 3D bioprinted vascularized cortical organoids as a reliable model to study the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, in collaboration with Humanitas University.
Selected Publications
- K. Kim, A.A. Bham, J. Angelo, X. Xu, S. Ghose, M. Morbidelli, M. Sponchioni, “Role of the gradient slope during the product internal recycling for the multicolumn countercurrent solvent gradient purification of PEGylated proteins”, Journal of Chromatography A, 1692, 2023, Article no. 463868, doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2023.463868.
- K. Kim, B. Sechi, J.J. Romero Conde, J. Angelo, X. Xu, S. Ghose, M. Morbidelli, M. Sponchioni, “Design and economic investigation of a Multicolumn Countercurrent Solvent Gradient Purification unit for the separation of an industrially relevant PEGylated protein”, Journal of Chromatography A, 1681, 2022, Article no. 463487, doi: 10.1016/j.chroma.2022.463487.
- Fioretti, T. Müller-Späth, R. Weldon, S. Vogg, M. Morbidelli, M. Sponchioni, “Continuous countercurrent chromatographic twin-column purification of oligonucleotides: The role of the displacement effect”, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 119 (7), 2022, pp. 1861-1872, doi: 10.1002/bit.28093.
- K. Kim, C. Botti, J. Angelo, X. Xu, S. Ghose, Z.J. Li, M. Morbidelli, M. Sponchioni*, “Experimental Design of the Multicolumn Countercurrent Solvent Gradient Purification (MCSGP) Unit for the Separation of PEGylated Proteins”, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 60 (29), 2021, pp. 10764–10776, doi: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c01345.
- Shi, S. Vogg, D.Q. Lin, M. Sponchioni, M. Morbidelli, “Analysis and Optimal Design of Batch and Two-Column Continuous Chromatographic Frontal Processes for Monoclonal Antibody Purification”, Biotechnology & Bioengineering, 118, 2021, pp. 3420– 3434, doi: 10.1002/bit.27763.
- M.G. Alcantara, M. Sponchioni*, “Chapter 1: Evolution and Design of Continuous Bioreactors for the Production of Biological Products”, in Advances in Chemical Engineering, Vol. 59, 2022, Elsevier, pp. 1-26, doi: 10.1016/bs.ache.2022.03.001.
- Fioretti, T.K. Kim, M. Sponchioni, “Chapter 2: Continuous Countercurrent Chromatography for the Downstream Processing of Bioproducts: A Focus on Flow-Through Technologies”, in Advances in Chemical Engineering, Vol. 59, 2022, Elsevier, pp. 27-67, doi: 10.1016/bs.ache.2022.03.002.
- Sponchioni, C.T. O’Brien, C. Borchers, E. Wang, M.N. Rivolta, N.J.W. Penfold, I. Canton ad S.P. Armes, “Probing the Mechanism for Hydrogel-Based Stasis Induction in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: Is the Chemical Functionality of the Hydrogel Important?”, Chemical Science, 11 (1), 2020, pp. 232-240, doi: 10.1039/c9sc04734d.
- Sponchioni, P. Rodrigues Bassam, P. Arosio, D. Moscatelli and U. Capasso Palmiero, “Biodegradable Zwitterionic Nanoparticles with Tunable UCST-type Phase Separation under Physiological Conditions”, Nanoscale, 11 (35), 2019, pp. 16582-16591, doi: 10.1039/c9nr04311j.
- Sponchioni, U. Capasso Palmiero, D. Moscatelli, “Thermo-Responsive Polymers: Applications of Smart Materials in Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering”, Materials Science and Engineering C, 102, 2019, pp. 589-605, doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2019.04.069.
