The Dynamics of Tumor Microenvironment and Therapeutic Targets

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a significant role in influencing tumor aggressiveness and therapeutic outcomes, presenting both challenges and opportunities in oncology. This book provides a detailed overview of the complex nature of the TME, highlighting its dynamic cellular and molecular components.

Shyamasree Ghosh, MSc, PhD, PGDHE, PGDBI has been working in the capacity of Scientific Officer at the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India, since 2009, an OCC of HBNI, Mumbai. She graduated from the prestigious Presidency College Kolkata, under Calcutta University in 1998 with Honours in Zoology, with Chemistry and Physiology as additional subjects, and was awarded the prestigious National Scholarship from the Government of India in the same year. She completed her post-graduation in Biotechnology from Calcutta University, ranking second in the University in 2000.

She completed her PhD from the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), CSIR, Kolkata, after qualifying for the National Eligibility Test conducted by the Ministry of HRD, Government of India. Her PhD work in 2005 in the field of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) was published in various national and international journals of repute. Later, she worked in the field of stem cells and nanotechnology during her post-doctoral research as a Stem Cell Scientist at Manipal Health Systems, Bangalore, and Indian Association for the Cultivation of Sciences (IACS), Kolkata. She served as the Head of the Biotechnology Department in a post-graduate college affiliated with Bangalore University until 2009.

She has authored and edited 16 books, both as a single author and jointly with other co-authors. Her publications have been widely cited globally, and she has received several awards in India for her academic endeavours.

Sanjima Pal, MSc, PhD, is currently working as a Research Associate (Staff Scientist) at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in Canada. She leads a project focused on developing a patient-specific, tumor microenvironment (TME)-inclusive organ-on-chip platform to predict individualized chemosensitivity. Additionally, she is investigating altered lipid metabolism as a driver of chemoresistance and a potential therapeutic target in gastroesophageal cancer.

She earned her doctoral degree in immune-chemical biology in 2017 from the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at the National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India. From 2016 to 2017, she worked as a Research Associate at the Crystallography and Molecular Biology Division of the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata.

She completed a postdoctoral research training in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2017-2020), where she contributed to a drug discovery project focused on developing a novel class of small molecules designed to degrade EGFR by disrupting its dimerization. During her second postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University, she established a microfluidic organ-on-chip platform capable of simulating clinical conditions for modeling esophageal adenocarcinoma.

She is currently a member of a clinical trial team, contributing to the analysis of immune landscapes in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma undergoing perioperative chemo-immunotherapy. Her work has been widely cited, and she has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences. She has received several awards and fellowships in recognition of her academic achievements.