Education
- 2019 – 2023: Executive Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering cum laude – MiMic Lab-Prof. Marco Rasponi (Politecnico di Milano) and Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Lab- Prof. Ana Lleo (Humanitas Research Hospital)
- 2019 – 2023: Executive Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering cum laude
- 2023: Qualified as a Professional Biologist, University of Pavia
- 2013 – 2016: Master’s degree in Medical Biotechnology, (LM-9) D.M. 270/2004, University of L’Aquila, 110/110 cum laude
- 2008 – 2013: Bachelor’s degree in Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Veterinary Biotechnology (L-2) D.M. 509/1999, University of L’Aquila, 104/110
Academic Background
- Current role – Assistant Professor (RTDA), Humanitas University
- 2024: Postdoctoral Researcher, Humanitas Research Hospital, Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Lab, Milan, Italy
- 2023 – 2024: Postdoctoral Researcher, Humanitas University, Precision Medicine Lab, Milan, Italy
- 2022: Visiting Research Fellow, University of Basel, Visceral Surgery and Precision Medicine Research Lab, Basel, Switzerland
- 2019 – 2023: Research Fellow, Politecnico di Milano (Mimic Lab) and Humanitas Research Hospital (Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Lab), Milan, Italy
- 2017 – 2019: Research Fellow, Humanitas Research Hospital, Hepatobiliary Immunopathology Lab, Milan, Italy
- 2016 – 2017: Research Fellow, University of L’Aquila, Pituitary Disease Lab, L’Aquila, Italy
Membership and Affiliations
- 2019: Member EASL – The home of Hepatology
- 2021: Member AISF – Associazione Italiana per lo studio del fegato
- 2024: Member EUROoCS – European Organ-on-chip society
Awards and Honors
- 2025: PI – Fondazione Cariplo – Giovani Ricercatori 2025 Life Science
- 2025: PI (Unit 4) – ERA-NET TRANSCAN-3 Joint Transnational Call 2024
- 2024: Postdoctoral Fellowship – Fondazione Umberto Veronesi 2024
- Young Investigator Award – Liver Cancer Summit (EASL – Edinburgh 2026, Paris 2025, Rotterdam 2024, Estoril 2023, Prague 2020) and EASL Congress (London 2022)
Dr. Michela Anna Polidoro’s research interests focus on translational research integrating molecular oncology, tumor immunobiology, and biomedical engineering, with particular emphasis on primary liver tumors, including cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). Her work investigates the molecular drivers of tumor progression, including oncogenic signaling pathways, metabolic reprogramming, and tumor–immune interactions that contribute to disease aggressiveness and therapeutic resistance.
She combines advanced molecular technologies and multi-omics approaches to study cancer biology in physiologically relevant experimental models. During her PhD training, she developed a 3D microfluidic organ-on-chip model that recapitulates the CCA tumor microenvironment, enabling the investigation of spatial and temporal dynamics of cell–cell interactions and the regulation of complex biological processes. This platform supports the evaluation of treatment responses and the development of personalized therapeutic strategies.
- Palma C, Salehi S, Polidoro MA, Moretti M, Rasponi M, Lopa S, Occhetta P. A Compartmentalized Joint-on-chip (JoC) Model to Unravel the Contribution of Cartilage and Synovium to Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025. doi: 10.1002/advs.202500374.
- Milardi G, Franceschini B, Camisaschi C, Puccio S, Costa G, Soldani C, Uva P, Cangelosi D, Carriero R, Lambroia L, Cammarota A, Lodetti-Zangrandi G, Malenica I, Erreni M, Montali I, Lottini T, Raggi C, Kunderfranco P, Polidoro MA, Aghemo A, Balsano R, Pressiani T, Piscuoglio S, Di Tommaso L, Torzilli G, Rimassa L, Lugli E, Cassani B, Lleo A. Immunosuppressive contribution of tumour-infiltrating B cells in human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and their role in chemoimmunotherapy outcome. Gut. 2025. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2025-334861.
- Milana F*, Polidoro MA*, Soldani C, Franceschini B, Famularo S, Di Tommaso L, Terracciano LM, Lleo A, Donadon M, Torzilli G. Unveiling the prognostic role of blood inflammatory indexes in a retrospective cohort of patients undergoing liver resection for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Int J Surg. 2024.* Contributed equally. doi:10.1097/JS9.0000000000001924.
- Polidoro MA, Ferrari E, Soldani C, Franceschini B, Saladino G, Rosina A, Mainardi A, D’Autilia F, Pugliese N, Costa G, Donadon M, Torzilli G, Marzorati S, Rasponi M, Lleo A. Cholangiocarcinoma-on-a-chip: A human 3D platform for personalised medicine. JHEP Rep. 2023. doi: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2023.100910.
- Alvisi G, Termanini A, Soldani C, Portale F, Carriero R, Pilipow K, Costa G, Polidoro MA, Franceschini B, Malenica I, Puccio S, Lise V, Galletti G, Zanon V, Colombo FS, De Simone G, Tufano M, Aghemo A, Di Tommaso L, Peano C, Cibella J, Iannacone M, Roychoudhuri R, Manzo T, Donadon M, Torzilli G, Kunderfranco P, Di Mitri D, Lugli E, Lleo A. Multimodal single-cell profiling of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma defines hyperactivated Tregs as a potential therapeutic target. J Hepatol. 2022. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.05.043.