Sandra Ryeom, PhD

  • Associate Professor of Surgical Sciences, Division of Surgical Sciences (in Surgery)
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Overview

Sandra Ryeom is a cancer biologist with a focus on understanding the mechanisms underlying initiation, progression and metastatic dissemination of gastroesophageal cancer as well as the role of endothelial cells and fibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment. She is the Scientific Director of the Torrey Coast Foundation- Gastroesophageal Malignancy Investigator Network Initiative (GEMINI), a consortium of academic scientists and oncologists that facilitates translational gastroesophageal malignancies research. She has received multiple honors for her commitment to training and teaching, including the Department of Cancer Biology Teaching Award from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (2019).

She is a current member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), Women of the AACR, DiGregorio Family Foundation for Gastroesophageal Cancer, Cardio-Oncology Journal Editorial Board, American Andrology Association and the, Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), Basic Science Review Panel.

Dr. Ryeom received a PhD in cell biology and genetics from Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences and completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship training at Harvard Medical School in cell biology. She joined Columbia and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2021 from the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, where she served as Associate Professor in the dept. of cancer biology.

Research Interests

  • Gastroesophageal cancer, tumor microenvironment, tumor angiogenesis, down syndrome and cancer

Academic Appointments

  • Associate Professor of Surgical Sciences, Division of Surgical Sciences (in Surgery)

Administrative Titles

  • Associate Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC)
  • Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs and New Master’s Degree Programs, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons

Gender

  • Female

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • PhD, Cornell University Medical College (Cell Biology and Genetics)
  • BA, Wellesley College (Physics)
  • Fellowship: Postdoctoral, Harvard Medical School

Committees, Societies, Councils

Memberships:

  • American Associate for Cancer Research (AACR)
  • Women of the AACR
  • Tumor Microenvironment Working Group, AACR
  • DiGregorio Family Foundation for Gastroesophageal Cancer
  • Cardio Oncology Journal Editorial Board Member
  • American Andrology Association
  • Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), Basic Science
    Review Panel
  • Mentor, BlackinCancer (US and UK organization committed to strengthening networks and highlighting Black excellence in cancer research)
  • Corporate Round Table DEI Task Force, Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI)

Editorial Boards:

  • Cardio-Oncology Journal
  • Current Angiogenesis

Research

There are three main areas of research in my lab:
  • Endothelial cells and stromal cells in the tumor microenvironment and calcineurin-NFAT signaling;
  • Organ specific vasculature in malignant, benign disease and stem cell niches;
  • Gastric cancer initiation, progression and early detection;

We generated one of the first genetically engineered mouse models of gastric cancer(GC) that models molecular subtypes and diffuse and intestinal histologic subtypes with metastasis to the liver and lung recapitulating gastric cancer progression in patients. My lab also generates GC mouse models utilizing an electroporation approach with injection of a sleeping beauty transposon containing a gene of interest together with a sleeping beauty transposase and with a guide shRNA to delete any gene of interest.

These plasmids are injected into the stomach wall of mice allowing us to express any oncogene and/or tumor suppressor combination to generate three of the four molecular subtypes of GC. Further, we have been investigating biomarkers of early detection of GC using our GC mouse models for screens and validation in patient samples collected with six other institutions through my role as the co-leader of a Stand Up to Cancer Gastric Cancer Interception Team.

Selected Publications

  1. Ventin M, Cattaneo G, Arya S, Jia J, Gelmi MC, Sun Y, Maggs L, Ksander B, Verdijk R, Boland G, Jenkins R, Haz R, Jager M, Wang X, Ryeom S, Ferrone C. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell with an Inducible Caspase 9 Suicide Gene Eradicates Uveal Melanoma Liver Metastases via B7-H3 Targeting. Clinical Cancer Research 30:3243-3258. 2024.
  2. Zhang F, Sahu V, Peng K, Wang Y, Li T, Bala P, Aitymbayebv D, Sahgal P, Schaefer A, Der CJ, Ryeom S, Yoon S, Sethi N, Bass AJ, Zhang H. Recurrent RhoGAP gene fusion CLDN18-ARHGAP26 promotes RHOA activation and focal adhesion kinase and YAP-TEAD signalling in diffuse gastric cancer. Gut. 8:1280-1291, 2024.
  3. Ho CL, Gilbert MB, Urtecho G, Lee, H, Drew DA, Klempner SJ, Cho JS, Ryan TJ, Rustgi N, Lee H, Lee J, Caraballo A, Magicheva-Gupta M, Rios C, Tseng YY, Davis JL, Chung DC, Chan AT, Wang H, *Ryeom S. Stool Protein mass spectrometry identifies biomarkers for the early detection of diffuse-type gastric cancer. Cancer Prev Res 17:361-376, 2024.
  4. Buckley KH, Beyries KA, Ryeom S, Yoon SS, Katona BW: Establishment and characterization of patient-derived gastric organoids from biopsies of benign gastric body and antral epithelium. J. Vis Exp. Jan 26 (203). 2024.
  5. Lieberman A, Barrett R, Kim J, Zhang KL, Avery D, Monslow J, Kim H, Kim BJ, Puré E, *Ryeom S. Deletion of Calcineurin Promotes a Protumorigenic Fibroblast Phenotype. Cancer Research 79: 3928-3939, 2019.

See a full list of Dr. Ryeom's publications via PubMed, here.