Saumya Maru, MD, PhD

Saumya Maru

Assistant Professor

Specialties

  • Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology

Treatment Focus

Appendix Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Liver, Gall Bladder & Bile Duct Cancer, Neuroendocrine Tumors, Esophageal Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Stomach (Gastric) Cancer

Language(s) Other than English

  • Hindi
  • German

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

  • Fox Chase Cancer Center
    333 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

Certifications

  • American Board of Internal Medicine - Internal Medicine

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

Lab Description

Maru Lab – Overcoming immune resistance in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment

•    stromal-immune cell interactions in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment
•    modulating signaling pathways that promote pro-inflammatory cell infiltration
•    understanding metabolic derangements that fuel immune cell dysfunction
•    studying patient-specific attributes that determine treatment resistance. 

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 CAFs in PDAC differentially regulate Treg phenotype and function via CXCL9 and CCL22. bioRxiv 2025.03.27.645833; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.03.27.645833.

2.    Zabransky DJ, Kartalia E, Lee JW, Leatherman JM, Charmsaz S, Young SE, Chhabra Y, Franch-Expósito S, Kang M, Maru S, Rastkari N, Davis M, Dalton WB, Oshima K, Baretti M, Azad NS, Jaffee EM, Yarchoan M. Tumor-derived CCL2 drives tumor growth and immunosuppression in IDH1- mutant cholangiocarcinoma. Hepatology. 2025 Sep 1;82(3):599-611. doi: 10.1097/HEP.0000000000001185. Epub 2024 Dec 3. PMID: 39626209; PMCID: PMC12130352.

3.    Maru SY, Jaffee EM. Pancreatic Cancer is Feeling the Heat. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2024;12:e010124.

4.    Maru, S., Jin, G., Desai, D., Amin, S., Shwetank, Lauver, M. D., & Lukacher, A. E. Inhibition of retrograde transport limits polyomavirus infection in vivo. MSphere. 2017; 2(6).

5.    Maru, S., Jin, G., Schell, T. D., & Lukacher, A. E. TCR stimulation strength is inversely associated with establishment of functional brain-resident memory CD8 T cells during persistent viral infection. PLoS Pathogens. 2017; 13(4), 1–21.

6.    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. IL-2 induces a WAVE2-dependent pathway for actin reorganization that enables WASp-independent human NK cell function. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2011; 121(4), 1535–1548.
 

My NCBI