פרופ' אלחנדרו סוסניק

picture of person
077-887-1971
sosnik@technion.ac.il
/en/labs-sites/lab-laboratory-of-pharmaceutical-nanomaterial-science/
De-Jur, 607
  • Pharmacy degree (1994) (5 years plan), Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  • D. in Applied Chemistry (2003), Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. (M.Sc. equivalency to direct access to Ph.D. program between 1998-1999)
  • Postdoctoral, Institute of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Canada (2003-2006)

Prof. Alejandro Sosnik received his Pharmacy degree from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the University of Buenos Aires in 1994, carrying out his professional stage in the pharmacy of a public hospital and volunteering afterwards in the pharmacy of a public pediatric hospital in Buenos Aires for more than one year. During his undergraduate studies, he was also teaching assistant in analytical chemistry and organic chemistry. After two years as junior research scholar of the University of Buenos Aires in the field of organic chemistry (1993-5), he worked as research pharmacist in the Department of Chemistry of the Argentine regulatory agency (equivalent to the US-FDA), a dependency of the Ministry of Health of Argentina (1996). In early 1997, he emigrated to Israel where after obtaining the pharmacist license, he continued his graduate studies, receiving M.Sc. (equivalency, 1998) and Ph.D. degrees in applied chemistry (polymeric biomaterials) from the Casali Institute of Applied Chemistry (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, 2003) under the supervision of Prof. Daniel Cohn. In 2003-6, Prof. Sosnik spent a postdoctoral in the laboratory of Professor Michael Sefton (Institute of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry/Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada) working in the development of hybrid matrices for cell culture and tissue engineering. Between 2006 and 2013, Prof. Sosnik was Assistant Professor (tenure) of Pharmaceutical Technology at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry (University of Buenos Aires) and Investigator of the National Science Research Council of Argentina (CONICET, tenure). In this period, he established a research group that worked at the interface of drug crystallization and processing, biomaterials science, nanotechnology and microtechnology, drug delivery and therapeutics. In this context, he supervised three junior staff scientists (CONICET), five postdocs (CONICET) and four Ph.D. theses at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the University of Buenos Aires. Prof. Sosnik established the “Ibero-American Network of New Materials for the Design of Advanced Drug Delivery Systems in Diseases of High Socioeconomic Impact” (RIMADEL) of the CYTED Program that gathered eleven research groups and companies of Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Brazil and Argentina and over 75 scientists and served as its international coordinator in the period 2011-2013. He also served as advisor of several Argentine pharmaceutical companies in scientific, technical and intellectual property issues. Owing to its multidisciplinary background and expertise at the interface of drug research and development and polymeric biomaterials, in 2014, Prof. Sosnik was appointed Associate Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology where he founded the Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Nanomaterials Science and heads the BSc program in Materials Engineering and Biology. In the last years, he was awarded the Marie Reintegration Grant of the European Commission for the period 2014-2018 and other competitive Israeli and European research grants and awards. In 2020, he was promoted to the rank of Professor. His current research lines comprise drug self-assembly and crystallization phenomena and processing, polymer and macromolecular chemistry, biomaterials science, colloidal chemistry (drug and polymer self-assembly), hybrid organic-inorganic nanomaterials, mucoadhesive drug delivery systems, nanomedicine (drug encapsulation, release and targeting), therapy of poverty-related diseases (HIV, tuberculosis), pediatric cancer, intestinal diseases and pharmacokinetics (oral, inhalatory and intranasal administration routes) and ceramic/polymer nanomaterials for sono-dynamic therapy. He has served and serves as evaluator for more than twenty national and international research funding agencies and universities. Prof. Sosnik is co-author of over 160 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, editorials and book chapters in areas of biomaterials science, nanomaterials, tissue engineering, pharmaceutical research and development and innovation, drug delivery, co-inventor in several patents and patent applications related to biomedical and pharmaceutical innovation and editor of two books.

CURRENT FUNDING

  • 2019-2021 NOFAR Incentive Program; Director: Alejandro Sosnik, “Novel mucoadhesive nanoparticles for Cannabinoids delivery to the eye”.
  • 2019-2023 ISF-Individual; Director: Alejandro Sosnik. “Novel Hybrid TiO2/polymer Amphiphilic Nanomaterials of Controlled Size for Targeted Sonodynamic Therapy of Pediatric Cancers”.
  • 2019-2021 Russian-Israeli Scientific Research Program, Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST); Israeli director: Alejandro Sosnik. “Synthesis and properties of biodegradable load bearing Fe-Fe2O3 nanocomposites for orthopedic implants with enhanced rate of degradation and tunable drug release”.
  • 2020-2023 M-ERA.NET; Partner: Alejandro Sosnik. "Bioactive injectable hydrogels for soft tissue regeneration after reconstructive maxillofacial surgeries (INJECT-BIO)".
  • 2020-2022 ISF- KillCorona – Curbing coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Research Program; Co-director: Alejandro Sosnik. “The mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 interfacial behavior: From basic understanding to the design of anti-coronavirus surfaces”.
  • 2020-2023 Alternatives to animal experiments, Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST); Director: Alejandro Sosnik. “Design of a bioinspired artificial device for the characterization of the interaction between nano-drug delivery systems and mucosal tissues: An experimental and theoretical approach”.
  • 2021-2025 H2020-MSCA-RISE-2020, European Commission (Grant #101008072); Partner: Alejandro Sosnik. “Supramolecular polyamine gene vectors for cancer therapy (SUPRO-GEN)”
  1. Sosnik A§, Gotelli G, Abraham GA, Microwave-assisted polymer synthesis (MAPS) as a tool in biomaterials science: How new and how powerful, Prog Polym Sci 36, 1050-1078 (2011).
  2. Sosnik A§, Reversal of multidrug resistance by the inhibition of ATP-binding cassette pumps with Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) nanopharmaceuticals: A review, Adv Drug Deliv Rev 65, 1828-1851 (2013).
  3. Andrade F, das Neves J, Ferreira D, Sosnik A, Sarmento B, Nanotechnology and pulmonary delivery to overcome resistance in infectious diseases, Adv Drug Deliv Rev 65, 1816-1827 (2013).
  4. Sosnik A§, das Neves J, Sarmento B, Mucoadhesive polymers in the design of nano-drug delivery systems for administration by non-parenteral routes: A review, Prog Polym Sci 39, 2030-2075 (2014).
  5. Sosnik A§, Carcaboso AM, Nanomedicines in the future of pediatric therapy, Adv Drug Deliv Rev 73, 140-161 (2014).
  6. Sosnik A§, Seremeta KP, Advantages and challenges of the spray-drying technology for the production of pure drug particles and drug-loaded polymeric carriers, Adv Colloid Interface Sci 223, 40-54 (2015).
  7. Sosnik A§, Menaker Raskin M, Polymeric micelles in mucosal drug delivery: Challenges towards clinical translation, Biotechnol Adv 33, 1380-1392 (2015).
  8. Sosnik A§, Drug self-assembly: A phenomenon at the nanometer scale with major impact in the structure-biological properties relationship and the treatment of disease, Prog Mater Sci 82, 39-82 (2016).
  9. Sosnik A§, Augustine R, Challenges in oral drug delivery of antiretrovirals and the innovative strategies to overcome them, Adv Drug Deliv Rev 103, 105-120 (2016).
  10. Menaker Raskin M, Schlachet I, Sosnik A§, Mucoadhesive nanogels by ionotropic crosslinking of chitosan-g-oligo(NiPAam) polymeric micelles as novel drug nanocarriers, Nanomedicine (Lond.) 11, 217-233 (2016).
  11. Schlachet I, Sosnik A§, Protoporphyrin IX-modified chitosan-g-oligo(NiPAam) polymeric micelles: From physical stabilization to permeability characterization in vitro, Biomater Sci 5, 128-140 (2017).
  12. Abu Saleh D, Shimoni O, Sosnik A§, Novel core-corona hybrid nanomaterials based on the conjugation of amphiphilic polymeric diblocks to the surface of multifunctional nanodiamond anchors, Mater Today Chem 3, 15-26 (2017).
  13. Talal J, Abutbul-Ionita I, Schlachet I, Danino D, Sosnik A§, Amphiphilic nanoparticle-in-nanoparticle drug delivery systems exhibiting a surface rate-controlling crosslinked inorganic domains, Chem Mater 29, 873–885 (2017).
  14. Cánepa C, Imperiale J, Berini CA, Lewicki M, Sosnik A, Biglione M, Development of a drug delivery system based on chitosan nanoparticles for oral administration of interferon-alpha, Biomacromolecules, 18, 3302-3309 (2017).
  15. Abu Saleh D, Niskanen J, Xue Y, Golberg D, Winnik FM, Sosnik A§, Boron nitride nanotube-based amphiphilic hybrid nanomaterials for superior encapsulation of hydrophobic cargos, Mater Today Chem 6, 45-50 (2017).
  16. Moshe H, Davizon Y, Menaker Raskin M, Sosnik A§, Novel poly(vinyl alcohol)-based amphiphilic nanogels by boric acid non-covalent crosslinking of polymeric micelles, Biomater Sci 5, 2295-2309 (2017).
  17. Augustine R, Mathew A, Sosnik A§, Metal oxide nanoparticles as versatile therapeutic agents modulating cell signaling pathways: Linking nanotechnology with molecular medicine, Appl Mater Today 7, 91-103 (2017).
  18. Bukchin A, Kuplennik N, Carcaboso A, Sosnik A§, Effect of growing glycosylation extents on the self-assembly and active targeting in vitro of branched poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) block copolymers, Appl Mater Today 11, 57-69 (2018).
  19. Bukchin A, Pascual-Pasto G, Cuadrado-Vilanova M, Castillo-Ecija H, Monterrubio C, Olaciregui NG, Ordeix L, Mora J, Carcaboso AM, Sosnik A§, Glucosylated nanomicelles target glucose-avid pediatric sarcomas, J Control Releas 276, 59-71 (2018).
  20. Augustine R, Levin Ashkenazi D, Sverdlov Arzi R, Zlobin V, Shofti R, Sosnik A§, Nanoparticle-in-microparticle oral drug delivery system of a clinically relevant darunavir/ritonavir antiretroviral combination, Acta Biomater 74, 344-356 (2018).
  21. Noi I, Schlachet I, Kumarasamy M, Sosnik A§, Permeability of chitosan-g-poly(methyl methacrylate) amphiphilic nanoparticles in a model of small intestine in vitro, Polymers, 10, Art. 478 (2018).
  22. Imperiale JC, Acosta G, Sosnik A§, Polymer-based carriers for ophthalmic drug delivery, J Control Release, 285, 106-141 (2018).
  23. Sverdlov Arzi R, Sosnik A§, Electrohydrodynamic atomization and spray-drying for the production of pure drug nanocrystals and co-crystals, Adv Drug Deliv Rev, 131, 79-100 (2018).
  24. Schlachet I, Trousil J, Rak D, Knudsen KD, Pavlova E, Nyström B, Sosnik A§, Chitosan-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) amphiphilic nanoparticles: Self-association and physicochemical characterization, Carbohydr Polym 212, 412-420 (2019).
  25. Moshe Halamish H, Trousil J, Rak D, Knudsen KD, Pavlova E, Nyström B, Štěpánek P, Sosnik A§, Self-assembly and nanostructure of poly(vinyl alcohol)-graft-poly(methyl methacrylate) amphiphilic nanoparticles, J Colloid Interface Sci 553, 512-523 (2019).
  26. Schlachet I, Sosnik A§, Mixed mucoadhesive amphiphilic polymeric nanoparticles cross a model of nasal septum epithelium in vitro, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 11, 21360–21371 (2019).
  27. 27. Kuplennik N, Sosnik A, Enhanced nanoencapsulation of sepiapterin within PEG-PCL nanoparticles by complexation with triacetyl-beta cyclodextrin, Molecules 24, Art. 2715 (2019).
  28. Kumarasamy M, Sosnik A§, The nose-to-brain transport of polymeric nanoparticles is mediated by immune sentinels and not by olfactory sensory neurons, Adv Biosys 3, Art. 1900123 (2019).
  29. Chauhan P, Kumarasamy M, Sosnik A, Danino D, Enhanced thermostability and anticancer activity in breast cancer cells of laccase immobilized on Pluronic-stabilized nanoparticles, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 11, 39436-39448 (2019).
  30. Zaritski A, Castillo-Ecija H,Kumarasamy M, Peled E, Sverdlov Arzi R, Carcaboso AM, Sosnik A§, Selective accumulation of galactomannan amphiphilic nanomaterials in pediatric solid tumor xenografts correlates with GLUT1gene expression, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 11, 38483-38496 (2019).
  31. Kuplennik N, Lang K, Steinfeld R, Sosnik A§, Folate receptor a-modified nanoparticles for targeting of the central nervous system, ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 11, 39633-39647 (2019).
  32. Blachman A, Funez F, Saavedra SL, Lazaro-Martinez JM, Camperi SA, Glisoni R, Sosnik A, Calabrese GC, Targeted anti-inflammatory peptide delivery in injured endothelial cells using dermatan sulfate/chitosan nanomaterials, Carbohydr Polym 230, Art. 115610 (2020).
  33. Weisbord I, Shomrat N, Moshe H, Sosnik A, Segal-Peretz T, Nano spray-dried block copolymer nanoparticles and their transformation into hybrid and inorganic nanoparticles, Adv Func Mater 30, Art. 1808932 (2020).
  34. Kushnirov Melnitzer V, Sosnik A§, Novel hybrid titanium oxide/polymer amphiphilic nanomaterials with controlled size for drug encapsulation and delivery, Adv Func Mater 30, Art. 1806146 (2020).
  35. Lecot N, Glisoni R, Oddone N, Benech J, Fernández-Lomonaco M, Gambini JP, Cabral P, Sosnik A§, Glucosylated polymeric micelles actively target a breast cancer model, Adv Ther, Art. 2000010 (2020).
  36. Sverdlov Arzi R, Sosnik A§, Cohen N, A microscopically motivated model for particle penetration into swollen biological networks, Polymers 12, Art. 1912 (2020).
  37. das Neves J, Sverdlov Arzi R, Sosnik A§, Molecular and cellular cues governing nanomaterials-mucosae interactions: From nanotherapeutics to nanotoxicology, Chem Soc Rev, 49, 5058-5100 (2020).
  38. Abu Saleh D, Rana U, Higuchi M, Sosnik A§, Luminescent amphiphilic nanogels by terpyridine-metal ion complexation of polymeric micelles, Mater Today Chem, 18, 100359 (2020).
  39. Schlachet I, Moshe Halamish H, Sosnik A§, Mixed self-assembled amphiphilic polymeric nanoparticles for intranasal drug delivery to the brain, Molecules, 25, 4496 (2020).
  40. Bukchin A, Sanchez-Navarro M, Carrera A, Teixidó M, Carcaboso AM, Giralt E, Sosnik A§, Amphiphilic polymeric nanoparticles modified with a retro-enantio peptide shuttle target the brain of mice

Pharmaceutical Materials Science emerged as the systematic study of the physicochemical properties and the behavior of materials of pharmaceutical interest (MPIs) in relation to product performance, MPIs comprising drugs and non-pharmacologically active pharmaceutical excipients. In this framework, the thorough study of the relationship between the structure and the properties of drugs, excipients and their combinations has become a pillar of the rational development of pharmaceutical products.

I am interested in the investigation of novel biomaterials-based strategies to optimize the treatment of disease from the isolation, processing and characterization of pure drugs and the design, production and characterization of polymeric micro and nanocarriers to the evaluation of the performance in relevant in vitro (cell), ex vivo (animal tissue) and in vivo (animal) models. This perspective is articulated and consolidated by the establishment of strategic intra and extramural scientific collaborations. The deep understanding of the relationship between micro/nanostructure, properties and processing methods is a fundamental goal of our research. The main research topics are the following:

The main research interests are the following:

  • Polymer and macromolecular chemistry
  • Biomaterials science
  • Microwave-assisted polymer synthesis
  • Drug crystallization and nanocrystals
  • Hybrid polymer-ceramic nanobiomaterials
  • Colloidal chemistry (drug and polymer self-assembly)
  • Nanomedicine (drug encapsulation, release and targeting)
  • Therapy of poverty-related diseases (HIV, tuberculosis), cancer, intestinal diseases
  • Hybrid polymer/ceramic nanomaterials
  • Sono-dynamic therapy
  • Cell culture
  • Pharmacokinetics (oral, inhalatory and intranasal administration routes)