Sandeep Saxena

Mapping Non-Coding RNAs to Cancer Pathways

Understanding a Changing Landscape
In the past few years, cancer biology has been transformed by a flood of high-resolution genomic data and the rise of powerful analytical methods. Patterns that were once hidden in complexity are now emerging, challenging long-standing ideas about how non-coding RNAs shape tumor behavior and cellular stress responses. This shift has created both opportunity and urgency: the questions we ask, and even the way we frame them, must evolve in step with this new landscape. The convergence of large-scale datasets and advanced computational tools is redefining what is possible, offering clues that can only be deciphered through approaches that blend molecular insight with sophisticated data analysis.

Decoding Cancer’s RNA Networks
Our work embraces this change by integrating genome-wide datasets with targeted experiments to uncover how non-coding RNAs control cell proliferation, tumor suppression, and stress signaling. From identifying RNA biomarkers with clinical relevance in lung and breast cancers to exploring p53-dependent regulation of RNA networks during DNA damage, we seek to connect molecular mechanisms to real-world outcomes. To navigate this complexity, we employ pattern-recognition algorithms and adaptive analytical frameworks that reveal connections invisible to conventional approaches. This creates a feedback loop where computation sharpens experimental design, and experimental findings refine computational models—allowing us not only to keep pace with a rapidly shifting field, but to help shape its future.

Recent Publications 

• Madhur Sharma – – – Saxena et al. (2026). DNA damage induces p53-dependent activation of the lncRNA TCERG1L-AS1 to regulate cell proliferation (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0300908425002263)

• Madhur Sharma – – – Saxena et al. (2026). Clinical data analysis identifies prognostic long non-coding RNA signatures in lung adenocarcinoma (Cancer Genomicsa and Proteomics).

• Madhur Sharma – – – Saxena et al. (2025). Functional characterization of dysregulated lncRNAs in BRCA and CESC highlights their role in cancer prognosis (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-16436-0)

Representative Work 

Priyanka, P., Sharma, M., Das, S. & Saxena, S. (2022). E2F1-induced lncRNA, EMSLR regulates lncRNA LncPRESS1. Sci Rep. 12, 2548. 

Priyanka, P., Sharma, M., Das, S. & Saxena, S. (2021). The lncRNA HMS recruits RNA-binding protein HuR to stabilize the 3'-UTR of HOXC10 mRNA. J. Biol. Chem.  297, 100997.  

Shekhar R, Priyanka P, Kumar P, Ghosh T, Khan MM, Nagarajan P, Saxena S (2019). The microRNAs miR-449a and miR-424 suppress osteosarcoma by targeting cyclin A2 expression. J. Biol. Chem. 294, 4381-4400.

Ghosh T, Varshney A, Kumar P, Kaur M, Kumar V, Shekhar R, Devi R, Priyanka P, Khan MM, Saxena S. (2017). MicroRNA-874 mediated inhibition of the major G1/S phase cyclin, CCNE1 is lost in osteosarcomas.  J. Biol. Chem. 292, 21264–21281.

Kaur M, Devi R, Ghosh T, Khan MM, Kumar P, Priyanka, Kar A, Sharma A, Varshney A, Kumar V, Saxena S. (2018). Sld5 ensures centrosomal resistance to congression forces by preserving centriolar satellites. Molecular and Cellular Biology, Volume 38, Issue 2, e00371-17 (Cover article).