Biography
Dr. Mitra earned his B.Sc. from Nagpur University, India, with majors in Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Botany, and his M.Sc. in Biotechnology from Devi Ahilya University, Indore, India. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Mumbai, India. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training in ovarian cancer biology at the University of Chicago under the mentorship of Dr. Ernst Lengyel.
He established his independent laboratory at Indiana University Bloomington in 2013 and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2021. In 2025, he joined the Division of Molecular Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine as a Full Professor.
Personal Statement
Ovarian cancer has the lowest 5-year survival rate among gynecologic malignancies, largely due to extensive metastasis and frequent relapse. Metastasis accounts for the majority of cancer-related deaths and remains one of the least understood aspects of the disease. Therefore, it is critical to elucidate the mechanisms underlying ovarian cancer metastasis and to develop therapies that specifically target metastatic disease.
Ovarian cancer disseminates through a unique transcoelomic route, in which tumor cells are shed into the peritoneal fluid and spread throughout the peritoneal cavity. These cells subsequently attach to mesothelial cells lining peritoneal organs and interact with and adapt to the local microenvironment to successfully establish metastatic colonies. Understanding the crosstalk between cancer cells and the metastatic microenvironment, and how it regulates metastatic colonization, is essential for the development of effective anti-metastatic therapies.
Similarly, interactions between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) influence responses to chemotherapy and contribute to disease relapse. Thus, defining the role of the TME and the mechanisms governing this crosstalk is crucial for preventing recurrence.
My laboratory aims to elucidate the mechanisms by which paracrine and juxtacrine interactions between ovarian cancer cells and their microenvironment regulate metastatic colonization and disease relapse. To achieve this, we employ in vitro organotypic 3D culture models (Figure 1), live 3D time-lapse microscopy, and mouse models of metastasis, together with cell and molecular biology approaches, including single-cell profiling and spatial transcriptomics. These integrated platforms allow us to investigate the reciprocal interactions between metastasizing cancer cells and the microenvironment at metastatic sites.
We are particularly focused on understanding how paracrine and juxtacrine signaling deregulates key transcription factors and epigenetic regulators, and the mechanisms by which these alterations drive metastatic colonization in ovarian cancer. In addition, we seek to define the roles of distinct subsets of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in promoting metastasis, establishing a cancer stem cell niche, and modulating the tumor immune microenvironment.
Areas of Specialty
Ovarian cancer
Metastasis
Tumor microenvironment
Transcriptomics
Epigenetics
Achievements & Awards
Recipient of Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance’s inaugural Schreiber Prize in 2016
Gender
Male
Languages
- English
- Hindi
- Bengali