Portrait of a smiling person with shoulder-length dark hair wearing a white top.

Kavita Iyer

CAS Lead Scientist Life Sciences

Bio

Kavita Iyer graduated with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from the University of Mumbai. Subsequently she earned her PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU. She further pursued a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at VCU where she was trained as a structural biologist and subsequently worked as a Research Scientist. While at CAS, Kavita has worked on a wide range of topics including immuno-oncology, CRISPR therapeutics, rare diseases, and nano biosensors in Life Sciences as well as covalent inhibitors and PROTACs in Medicinal Chemistry.

Genome-Scale Generative Design: What an AI Language Model Wrote, and Why It Worked 

Genome AI language models wrote complete bacteriophage genomes from scratch, and 16 of the synthesized designs became viruses with antibacterial activity. A cocktail of those phages cleared E. coli strains that were resistant to the natural template phage.
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Nanozymes: Rugged catalysis for diagnostics and enzyme-replacement therapy

Nanozymes are materials at the nanoscale that act like natural enzymes, but they’re more stable and can be tuned to have specific properties. While largely still in the research phase, these tiny catalysts could enable major breakthroughs in diagnostics, therapeutics, sensors, and environmental remediation.
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White immune cells attacking a large pink cancer cell on a red tissue surface.

New translational research in immuno-oncology may reach patients who do not respond to current therapies

Immunotherapy is driving precision oncology, but existing immuno-oncology treatments aren’t effective for every patient. Our review of the translational research landscape reveals which targets and therapies are showing promising results in clinical trials.
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Pharmaceutical capsule containing a glowing orange DNA helix on a dark circuit board background.

CAS Insights Report: Unlocking the future of pharmaceutical innovation through patent intelligence.

Five years of global pharmaceutical patent data reveal a field in fundamental transition: therapeutic platforms multiplying, molecular targets expanding well beyond traditional proteins, and disease focus shifting toward previously intractable conditions. The patterns show not just where innovation
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Orange and grey hantavirus particle against a red tissue background.

Hantavirus: How climate change may be increasing disease risk

Hantavirus, a rodent-borne RNA virus with case fatality rates up to 40%, is reshaping zoonotic disease risk amid environmental change and global mobility.
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A mosquito resting on a window screen against a blue sky.

Shifting climate, spreading insects: The rising burden of vector-borne diseases

Vector-borne diseases are spreading to new regions as climate change intensifies, and public health systems need more treatment options to limit the impacts.
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Anatomical specimen of a heart with its blood vessel network on a pale background.

Could xenotransplantation solve organ transplant shortages?

With the advent of genetic editing technology, researchers are increasingly able to address immuno-compatibility issues, getting closer to making organs and tissues available for transplant from animal donors to human recipients.
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Magenta protein structures linked by pale strands on a blue background.

PPI inhibitors show promise in cancer trials

Small molecule PPI inhibitors are on the brink of improving cancer treatments
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Teal Y-shaped antibodies approaching a virus particle on a blue background.

Co-occurring concepts reveal new research directions in immuno-oncology

Concept co-occurrence analysis shows the newest ideas in scientific discovery and drives innovation in immuno-oncology.
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Molecular model of a PROTAC with two binding domains joined by a flexible linker.

PROTACs revolutionize small molecule drugs

PROTACs are driving small molecule drug development to treat cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and more
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Teal immune cells attacking an orange tumour mass on a pink background.

Webinar: Big data insights in the quest to cure cancer

Experts discuss emerging trends in immuno-oncology, data challenges, and opportunities ahead for cancer researchers.
|Webinar
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Blood smear showing purple-stained white blood cells among red cells.

Emerging trends in immunotherapy and cancer

Immuno-oncology has the potential to treat cancer without sacrificing the patient's wellbeing.
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