Sen, S.

Dr. Shamik Sen
Professor

Phone: +(91-22) 2576 7743
E-mail: shamiks [at] iitb.ac.in
Location: Room No. 605, BSBE Building
Lab web page

Research Interest

One of the most important breakthroughs of this post-genomic era is the finding that in addition to chemical cues, cell behaviour is equally susceptible to physical cues of the environment, including the geometry, topography and physical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). From embryonic development to cancer, physical forces play an important role in modulating cell processes including cell sorting, proliferation, differentiation and angiogenesis. The broad goal of my research plan will be to understand how physical forces influence cell and matrix mechanics through a combination of experimental and computational techniques. To contribute to this understanding, I will explore how development and cancer progression are regulated by the physical crosstalk between the cell cytoskeleton and the ECM.

Academic Background

  • B.E. in Mechanical Engineering (1999) from Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  • M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering (2002) from IIT Kanpur
  • Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (2007) from University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia

Teaching (current)

Biostatistics, Introduction to Biomechanics, Cell Mechanics & Mechanobiology

Professional Experience

  • Professor: IIT Bombay, 2022 – present
  • Associate Professor: IIT Bombay, 2017 – 2022
  • Assistant Professor: IIT Bombay, July 2009 – April 2017
  • Post-doctoral fellow : California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California, Berkeley. Worked with Prof. Sanjay Kumar

Honors and Fellowships

  • Associate Editor, Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology (2019 – present)
  • Associate Editor, J. Biosciences (2019 – present)
  • Swarnajayanti Fellowship, DST (2017)
  • BRNS Young Investigator Award (2011)
  • 2010 Best Oral Presentation Award, Biomechanics, UC Systemwide Symposium, Davis, CA
  • 2002-7 Graduate Research Assistantship, University of Pennsylvania
  • 2000-2 Graduate Research Assistantship, IIT Kanpur
  • 1994 Qualified for National Mathematics Olympiad, India

Publications

  • Goyal N., Barai A., Sen S., Kondabagil K., “Amoebal Tubulin Cleavage Late during Infection Is a Characteristic Feature of Mimivirus but Not of Marseillevirus” Microbiology Spectrum., 2022. Link to the Paper

  • Rajwar A., Shetty SR., Vaswani P., Morya V., Barai A., Sen S., Sonawane M., Bhatia D., “Geometry of a DNA Nanostructure Influences Its Endocytosis: Cellular Study on 2D, 3D, and in Vivo Systems” ASC Nano., 2022. Link to the Paper.

  • Mukerjee A., Sen S., “Mapping cytoskeletal stress concentrations and nuclear stresses during confined cell migration” Indian Journal of Physics., 2022. Link to the Paper

  • Sthanam L.K ., Roy T., Patwardhan S., Shukla A., Sharma S., Shinde P V., Tulasiram Kale H., P.Chandra Shekar., Kondabagil K., Sen S., “MMP modulated differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells on engineered cell derived matrices” Biomaterials., 2022. Link to the paper

  • Barai A., Mukerjee A., Das A., Saxena N., Sen S., “α-actinin-4 drives invasiveness by regulating of myosin IIB expression and myosin IIA localization” Journal of Cell Science., 2021. Link to the Paper

    Patwardhan S., Mahdik P., Shetty O., Sen S., “ECM stiffness-tuned exosomes drive breast cancer motility through thrombospondin-1” Biomaterials., 2021.  Link to the Paper

  • George E., Jahan I., Barai A., Ganesan V., Sen S., “High ligand density drives extensive spreading and motility on soft GelMA gels.” Biomedical Materials., 2021. PubMed | Link to the Paper

  • Jahan I., Pandya J., Munshi R., Sen S., “Glycocalyx disruption enhances motility, proliferation and collagen synthesis in diabetic fibroblasts.” Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res., 2021. PubMed | Link to the Paper

  • Saxena N., Jadav S., Sen S., “Fabrication of a microfluidic device for studying the combinatorial effect of physical and chemical cues on cell migration.” STAR Protocols, 2021. PubMed | Link to the Paper

  • Barai A.*, Das A.*, Sen S., “Measuring microenvironment-tuned nuclear stiffness of cancer cells with atomic force microscopy.” STAR Protocols, 2021 (*: Contributed equally). PubMed | Link to the Paper

  • Asadullah*, Kumar S.*, Saxena N., Sarkar M., Barai A., Sen S., “Combined heterogeneity in cell size and deformability promotes cancer invasiveness.” Journal of Cell Science, 2021 (*: Contributed equally). Link to the Paper

  • Mukherjee A., Gupta A., Sen S.,Yan W., Saigal A., Singh R.K. , “Palpation sensitivity of an embedded nodule using the finite element method.” ASME Journal of Engineering and Science in Medical Diagnostics and Therapy, 2021. Link to the Paper

  • Mal A., Bukhari A.B., Singh R.K., Kapoor A., Barai A., Deshpande I., Wadasadawala T., Ray P., Sen S., De A., “EpCAM Mediated Cellular Plasticity Promotes Radiation Resistance and Metastasis in Breast Cancer.” Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2021. Link to the Paper

Professional Affiliations

  • American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB)
  • Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)  
  • Biophysical Society (BPS)
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
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Reviewer in International Journals

  • Journal of Biorheology, Journal of Biochips and Tissue Chips

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