The Guest Speaker for the session was Dr Sudeshna Mukherjee, Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, BITS PILANI, Rajasthan. Her research was primarily focused on elucidating the role of cytokines in cancer development, molecular mechanisms to carcinogenesis with special emphasis on cell cycle dysregulation and chromosomal aberrations on embryonic fibroblasts. She completed her post-doctoral research from Dept. of Biochemistry, Tufts School of Medicine, Boston, USA and worked on Polyoma Middle T Antigen mediated signalling in cancer. She has also been awarded with the DST-SERB Young Scientist Grant.
The session was attended by the students of BTech (BT)VI and MSC(BT) II and AIB faculty members. The speakers introduced the concept of cytokines to the students. She explained how the cytokines are involved in metastasis. The role of growth factor receptors, colony stimulating factors and their receptors, chemokines, epidermal growth factors, proteases in the development of tumor. The role of macrophages, fibroblasts, epithelial cells, mesenchymal cells in the inflammatory process was also elaborated. The process of neovascularization, extravasation, intravasation and degradation of extracellular matrix were described in details. The system of autocrine and paracrine signaling involved in the process was vividly explained. Finally, she concluded with the factors responsible to maintain the microenvironment for cancer metastasis whether the cytokines will act antagonistically or synergistically in the process.