Full Name
Kruthika Iyer
Job Title
Postdoctoral Associate
Company/Institution/ Organization
University of Calgary
Speaker Bio
Dr. Kruthika Iyer is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Calgary, with a strong background in viral immunology, host–virus interactions, and antiviral therapeutic strategies. She earned her PhD in Biotechnology from the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), India, where her doctoral research focused on the role of heat shock protein (HSP70) isoforms and unfolded protein response pathways during HIV-1 infection in T cells. Her work combined molecular biology, transcriptional regulation, and functional virology approaches, resulting in multiple peer-reviewed publications.
Following her PhD, Dr. Iyer completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she investigated SIRPA-mediated antiviral pathways and virus entry restriction mechanisms under the supervision of Dr. Susan R. Ross. Her work identified key downstream signalling partners and employed advanced techniques including proximity ligation assays and in vivo models.
In her current role at the University of Calgary, under the supervision of Dr. Carla S. Coffin, Dr. Iyer is developing woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) cell culture models and CRISPR-based strategies aimed at viral eradication. She is also actively involved in clinical research, including patient enrolment and biospecimen processing, and contributes to flagship initiatives within the CIHR Pan-Canadian Network for HIV and STBBI Clinical Trials Research – Cure and Immunotherapies Think Tank.
Dr. Iyer has published in leading journals such as PNAS, Frontiers in Microbiology, FEBS Letters, and Virus Research, and has presented her work internationally. Her research interests centre on viral persistence, immune restriction pathways, and translational strategies toward functional and sterilizing cures for chronic viral infections.
Following her PhD, Dr. Iyer completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she investigated SIRPA-mediated antiviral pathways and virus entry restriction mechanisms under the supervision of Dr. Susan R. Ross. Her work identified key downstream signalling partners and employed advanced techniques including proximity ligation assays and in vivo models.
In her current role at the University of Calgary, under the supervision of Dr. Carla S. Coffin, Dr. Iyer is developing woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) cell culture models and CRISPR-based strategies aimed at viral eradication. She is also actively involved in clinical research, including patient enrolment and biospecimen processing, and contributes to flagship initiatives within the CIHR Pan-Canadian Network for HIV and STBBI Clinical Trials Research – Cure and Immunotherapies Think Tank.
Dr. Iyer has published in leading journals such as PNAS, Frontiers in Microbiology, FEBS Letters, and Virus Research, and has presented her work internationally. Her research interests centre on viral persistence, immune restriction pathways, and translational strategies toward functional and sterilizing cures for chronic viral infections.
