Alessandro Grattoni

Alessandro Grattoni, PhD

Professor of Nanomedicine, Academic Institute
Full Member, Research Institute
Chair, Department of Nanomedicine
Frank J. and Jean Raymond Centennial Chair, Houston Methodist


Grattoni Lab


Biography

Dr. Alessandro Grattoni obtained his bachelors and masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering at the Politecnico of Torino, Turin, Italy in 2005. During his masters degree thesis, he studied the osmotic pressure of non-ideal solutions though nanoporous membranes. This work produced two publications and two patents. A few months after starting graduate school in Biomedical Engineering at Politecnico of Torino in 2006, Alessandro Grattoni joined Dr. Mauro Ferrari’s research team as a visiting student in the Department of Nanomedicine and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. In this new context, he engaged in the study of transport phenomena in silicon nanofluidic devices for drug delivery.

At the beginning of 2007, he began directing one of the four research platforms, the nanochannel Delivery System (nDS) project. Since then he has coordinated the work of his colleagues in the development and validation of nanochannel membranes for long-term administration of therapeutics from implantable capsules. His research focuses on the experimental and phenomenological analysis of concentration-driven transport in nanoconfinement tools and mathematical models of the nanofluidic system. Additionally he analyzes electrokinetic transport in nanochannels for the purpose of modulating the release of therapeutics from reservoirs. In collaboration with NanoMedical Systems Inc. of Austin, TX, Dr. Grattoni is working to translate innovations in nDS technology to clinical applications.

In April 2009 he was awarded the Heinlein Trust Microgravity Award to support diffusion experiments in microgravity conditions on-board the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in early 2011. In May 2009 he completed his Ph.D. studies with fifteen peer-reviewed publications and five patent applications. In October 2010, he became an Assistant Member of The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and an Interim Co-Chair of the Nanomedicine Program.

Description of Research

Dr. Grattoni's research focuses on the development and clinical translation of implantable nanofluidic technologies for drug delivery, molecular sieving and cell transplantation. Silicon-based nanochannel membranes are developed for the controlled delivery of therapeutics by exploiting nanoscale physics, achieving a constant or tunable sustained release of molecules for extended periods of time. Dr. Grattoni’s research relates to the experimental and theoretical analysis of molecular transport at the nanoscale and the in vivo investigation of long term, sustained delivery of therapeutics. Dr. Grattoni's research has received the support of NASA and State of Texas Emerging Technology Funds, as well as from NanoMedical Systems, Inc.

Areas Of Expertise

Nanomedicine Nanofluidics Drug delivery Implantable devices Silicon technologies Space medicine
Education & Training

MSc, Politecnico di Torino
PhD, Politecnico di Torino
Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Publications

Modeling of a Bioengineered Immunomodulating Microenvironment for Cell Therapy
Capuani, S, Campa-Carranza, JN, Hernandez, N, Chua, CYX & Grattoni, A 2024, , Advanced Healthcare Materials. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202304003

Engineering platforms for localized long-acting immune modulation
Chua, CYX, Viswanath, DI, Huston, DP & Grattoni, A 2024, , Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 153, no. 3, pp. 572-575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2024.01.004

Antiviral potency of long-acting islatravir subdermal implant in SHIV-infected macaques
Pons-Faudoa, FP, Di Trani, N, Capuani, S, Facchi, I, Wood, AM, Nehete, B, DeLise, A, Sharma, S, Shelton, KA, Bushman, LR, Chua, CYX, Ittmann, MM, Kimata, JT, Anderson, PL, Nehete, PN, Arduino, RC & Grattoni, A 2024, , Journal of Controlled Release, vol. 366, pp. 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.12.031

Intratumoral nanofluidic system enhanced tumor biodistribution of PD-L1 antibody in triple-negative breast cancer
Liu, H-C, Capuani, S, Badachhape, AA, Di Trani, N, Davila Gonzalez, D, Vander Pol, RS, Viswanath, DI, Saunders, S, Hernandez, N, Ghaghada, KB, Chen, S-H, Nance, E, Annapragada, AV, Chua, CYX & Grattoni, A 2023, , Bioengineering and Translational Medicine, vol. 8, no. 6, e10594, pp. e10594. https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10594

Robotic self-modulation enhances implantable longacting drug delivery devices
Desai, T & Grattoni, A 2023, , Science Robotics, vol. 8, no. 81, eadj8292. https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.adj8292

Long-acting refillable nanofluidic implant confers protection against SHIV infection in nonhuman primates
Pons-Faudoa, FP, Trani, ND, Capuani, S, Campa-Carranza, JN, Nehete, B, Sharma, S, Shelton, KA, Bushman, LR, Abdelmawla, F, Williams, M, Roon, L, Nerguizian, D, Chua, CYX, Ittmann, MM, Nichols, JE, Kimata, JT, Anderson, PL, Nehete, PN, Arduino, RC & Grattoni, A 2023, , Science translational medicine, vol. 15, no. 702, eadg2887, pp. eadg2887. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.adg2887

Changes in local tissue microenvironment in response to subcutaneous long-acting delivery of tenofovir alafenamide in rats and non-human primates
Pons-Faudoa, FP, Di Trani, N, Capuani, S, Hernandez, N, Wood, AM, Nehete, B, Niles, J, Shelton, KA, Kezar, S, Bushman, LR, Chua, CYX, Ittmann, MM, Anderson, PL, Nehete, PN, Arduino, RC, Nichols, JE & Grattoni, A 2023, , Journal of Controlled Release, vol. 358, pp. 116-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2023.04.037

Local Delivery of Drugs in a 3D Bioengineered Subcutaneous Niche: Biodistribution and Pharmacokinetics.
Capuani, S, Hernandez, N, Paez-Mayorga, J, Dogra, P, Wang, Z, Cristini, V, Chua, CYX, Nichols, J & Grattoni, A 2023, , 8th Nano Today Conference, San Diego, United States, 4/22/23 - 4/25/23.

Sustained Intratumoral Administration of Agonist CD40 Antibody Overcomes Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment in Pancreatic Cancer
Liu, HC, Davila Gonzalez, D, Viswanath, DI, Vander Pol, RS, Saunders, SZ, Di Trani, N, Xu, Y, Zheng, J, Chen, SH, Chua, CYX & Grattoni, A 2023, , Advanced Science, vol. 10, no. 9, 2206873, pp. e2206873. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202206873

Design of a Closed-Loop Wireless Power Transfer System for an Implantable Drug Delivery Device
Del Bono, F, Bontempi, A, Dentis, A, Di Trani, N, Demarchi, D, Grattoni, A & Ros, PM 2023, , IEEE Sensors Journal, pp. 1. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2023.3270521

Probing Physicochemical Performances of 3D Printed Carbon Fiber Composites During 8-Month Exposure to Space Environment
Di Trani, N, Masini, A, Bo, T, Paci, MM, Batra, JS, Reggiani, M & Grattoni, A 2023, , Advanced Functional Materials. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202310243

Implantable niche with local immunosuppression for islet allotransplantation achieves type 1 diabetes reversal in rats
Paez-Mayorga, J, Campa-Carranza, JN, Capuani, S, Hernandez, N, Liu, H-C, Chua, CYX, Pons-Faudoa, FP, Malgir, G, Alvarez, B, Niles, JA, Argueta, LB, Shelton, KA, Kezar, S, Nehete, PN, Berman, DM, Willman, MA, Li, XC, Ricordi, C, Nichols, JE, Gaber, AO, Kenyon, NS & Grattoni, A 2022, , Nature Communications, vol. 13, no. 1, 7951. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35629-z, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35629-z

Localization of drug biodistribution in a 3D-bioengineered subcutaneous neovascularized microenvironment
Capuani, S, Hernandez, N, Paez-Mayorga, J, Dogra, P, Wang, Z, Cristini, V, Chua, CYX, Nichols, JE & Grattoni, A 2022, , Materials Today Bio, vol. 16, pp. 100390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100390

Localization of drug biodistribution in a 3D-bioengineered subcutaneous neovascularized microenvironment
Capuani, S, Hernandez, N, Paez-Mayorga, J, Dogra, P, Wang, Z, Cristini, V, Chua, CYX, Nichols, JE & Grattoni, A 2022, , Materials Today Bio, vol. 16, 100390, pp. 100390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100390

Implantable niche with local immunosuppression for islet allotransplantation achieves type 1 diabetes reversal in rats
Paez-Mayorga, J, Campa-Carranza, JN, Capuani, S, Hernandez, N, Liu, HC, Chua, CYX, Pons-Faudoa, FP, Malgir, G, Alvarez, B, Niles, JA, Argueta, LB, Shelton, KA, Kezar, S, Nehete, PN, Berman, DM, Willman, MA, Li, XC, Ricordi, C, Nichols, JE, Gaber, AO, Kenyon, NS & Grattoni, A 2022, , Nature Communications, vol. 13, no. 1, 7951. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35629-z

Biodistribution of locally delivered drugs in a 3d bioengineered subcutaneous niche.
Capuani, S, Hernandez, N, Paez-Mayorga, J, Dogra, P, Wang, Z, Cristini, V, Chua, CYX, Nichols, J & Grattoni, A 2022, , 7th Bioengineering & Translational Medicine Conference, Boston, United States, 12/14/22 - 12/16/22.

Zonal Intratumoral Delivery of Nanoparticles Guided by Surface Functionalization
Terracciano, R, Carcamo-Bahena, Y, Royal, ALR, Messina, L, Delk, J, Butler, EB, Demarchi, D, Grattoni, A, Wang, Z, Cristini, V, Dogra, P & Filgueira, CS 2022, , Langmuir, vol. 38, no. 45, pp. 13983-13994. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02319

Zonal Intratumoral Delivery of Nanoparticles Guided by Surface Functionalization
Terracciano, R, Carcamo-Bahena, Y, Royal, ALR, Messina, L, Delk, J, Butler, EB, Demarchi, D, Grattoni, A, Wang, Z, Cristini, V, Dogra, P & Filgueira, CS 2022, , Langmuir, vol. 38, no. 45, pp. 13983-13994. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02319

Engineered implantable vaccine platform for continuous antigen-specific immunomodulation
Viswanath, DI, Liu, HC, Capuani, S, Vander Pol, RS, Saunders, SZ, Chua, CYX & Grattoni, A 2022, , Biomaterials, vol. 281, 121374, pp. 121374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121374

Emerging nanotechnologies in cardiovascular medicine
Grattoni, A & Cooke, JP 2022, , Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine, vol. 39, 102472, pp. 102472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2021.102472