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Saumya Maru, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Hematology/Oncology
Specialties
- Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology
Areas of Expertise
Appendix Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Liver, Gall Bladder & Bile Duct Cancer, Neuroendocrine Tumors, Esophageal Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Stomach (Gastric) Cancer
Research Program
Language(s) Other than English
- German
- Hindi
Treatment Philosophy
Truly understanding my patients on a personal level and providing clear and empathetic communication are the main pillars of my philosophy of care for patients. I will always strive to treat every patient just as I would a friend or family member, with the ultimate goal of providing excellent treatment and comfort while maximizing quality of life. To this end I am also deeply invested in furthering our basic understanding of how cancers respond to treatment, and feel very fortunate to have the opportunity at Fox Chase to work in the clinic and the research lab. My laboratory will focus on understanding how non-cancer cells that comprise a tumor influence cancer cells and their response to therapy, with the hope of uncovering novel treatment methods.
The core values that shape my approach to patient care are empathy, compassion, and communication. I have witnessed the physical and emotional toll that cancer takes on patients and their families through experiences with my own family and friends, and I will always do my best to provide the highest level of care and support to my patients to help them feel safe and supported.
Clinical Locations
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Fox Chase Cancer Center333 Cottman Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19111
Phone: 888-369-2427
Educational Background
2021-2025 Medical Oncology Fellowship
*Chief Fellow for academic years 2023-2025
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland
2019-2021 Internal Medicine Residency
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee
2011-2019 Doctor of Medicine
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
2013-2017 Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania
2006-2010 Bachelor of Arts with Distinction in Biology
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Minors: Psychology, South Asia Studies
Memberships
- 2023-present American Association of Immunologists
- 2023-present Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer
- 2023-present American Association for Cancer Research
- 2021-present American Society of Clinical Oncology
- 2021-2025 American Society of Hematology 2018-2019 American College of Physicians
- 2017-2018 Infectious Diseases Society of America
- 2014-2017 American Association of Immunologists
Honors & Awards
- 2023 – present Physician Scientist Scholar Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
- 2019 Robert B. Spieth Scholarship Award, for excellence in oncology research and a commitment to oncologic clinical care Penn State University College of Medicine 2019
- John F. Enders Commencement Award, Dept of Microbiology and Immunology, for excellence in dissertation work Penn State University College of Medicine
- 2018 Judy Bond MD/PhD Student Award, for excellence in research and clinical work Penn State University College of Medicine
- 2017 College of Medicine Alumni Society Endowed Scholarship Penn State University College of Medicine
- 2016 Speaker Travel Award, Annual Meeting of The American Association of Immunologists
- 2010-2011 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Fellowship U.S. State Department 2010 Joseph Leidy Award for Research Achievement, for excellence in thesis work Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania
- 2008-2010 University Scholar Center for Undergraduate Research, University of Pennsylvania
Selected Publications
1. Maru SY, Wetzel M, Mitchell J, Andaloori L, Howe K, Kartalia E, Gross N, Luo G, Danilova L, Leatherman JM, Ho WJ, Fertig E, Pearce EJ, Kagohara L, Jaffee EM. Antigen-presenting cancer-associated fibroblasts influence PDAC immunosensitivity via Treg interactions. Manuscript in preparation.
2. Aziz K, Munjal K, Maru S, Howe K, Leatherman J, Yarchoan M. BCMA receptor mediates BAFF mediated antitumor activity. Manuscript in preparation.
3. Aziz K, Tajik-Mansoury E, Sforza D, Maru S, Rezaee M, Kleinberg LR. Comparison of Post Treatment Hematologic Changes Between FLASH And Conventional Dose Rate Murine Brain Irradiation. Manuscript in preparation.
4. Aziz K, Tajik-Mansoury E, Maru S, Sforza D, Hernandez J, Howe K, Lee J, Gabrielson K, Narang A, Rezaee M. Ultra high dose rate partial abdominal orthovoltage X-ray irradiation in murine model does not reduce acute intestinal toxicity. Manuscript in preparation.
5. Pancreatic Cancer is Feeling the Heat. Maru SY, Jaffee EM. Submitted to Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
6. Zabransky DJ, Kartalia E, Lee JW, Leatherman JM, Charmsaz S, Young SE, Chhabra Y, FranchExposito S, Kang M, Maru S, Rastkari N, Davis M, Oshima K, Baretti M, Azad NS, Jaffee EM, Yarchoan M. Tumor-derived CCL2 drives tumor growth and immunosuppression in IDH1-mutant cholangiocarcinoma. Submitted to Hepatology.
7. Banerjee, P. P., Pang, L., Soldan, S. S., Miah, S. M., Eisenberg, A., Maru, S., Waldman, A., Smith, E. A., Rosenberg-Hasson, Y., Hirschberg, D., Smith, A., Ablashi, D. V., Campbell, K. S., & Orange, J. S. (2018). KIR2DL4-HLAG interaction at human NK cell-oligodendrocyte interfaces regulates IFN-γ-mediated effects. Molecular Immunology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molimm.2018.09.027
8. Maru, S., Jin, G., Desai, D., Amin, S., Shwetank, Lauver, M. D., & Lukacher, A. E. (2017). Inhibition of retrograde transport limits polyomavirus infection in vivo. MSphere, 2(6). https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.00494-17
9. Maru, S., Jin, G., Schell, T. D., & Lukacher, A. E. (2017). TCR stimulation strength is inversely associated with establishment of functional brain-resident memory CD8 T cells during persistent viral infection. PLoS Pathogens, 13(4), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1006318
10. Qin, Q., Lauver, M., Maru, S., Lin, E., & Lukacher, A. E. (2017). Reducing persistent polyomavirus infection increases functionality of virus-specific memory CD8 T cells. Virology, 502(December 2016), 198–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2016.12.028
11. Qin, Q., Shwetank, Frost, E. L., Maru, S., & Lukacher, A. E. (2016). Type I Interferons Regulate the Magnitude and Functionality of Mouse Polyomavirus-Specific CD8 T Cells in a Virus Strain-Dependent Manner. Journal of Virology, 90(10), 5187–5199. https://doi.org/10.1128/JVI.00199-16
12. Panganiban, R. P. L., Pinkerton, M. H., Maru, S. Y., Jefferson, S. J., Roff, A. N., & Ishmael, F. T. (2012). Differential microRNA epression in asthma and the role of miR-1248 in regulation of IL-5. American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 1(2), 154–165.
13. Orange, J. S., Roy-Ghanta, S., Mace, E. M., Maru, S., Rak, G. D., Sanborn, K. B., Fasth, A., Saltzman, R., Paisley, A., Monaco-Shawver, L., Banerjee, P. P., & Pandey, R. (2011). IL-2 induces a WAVE2-dependent pathway for actin reorganization that enables WASp-independent human NK cell function. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 121(4), 1535–1548.
14. Sanborn, K. B., Rak, G. D., Maru, S. Y., Demers, K., Difeo, A., Martignetti, J. a, Betts, M. R., Favier, R., Banerjee, P. P., & Orange, J. S. (2009). Myosin IIA associates with NK cell lytic granules to enable their interaction with F-actin and function at the immunological synapse. Journal of Immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 182(11), 6969–6984. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.0804337