Ganesh Iyer
Chief Executive Officer & Founder Opprtna Therapeutics
Ganesh Iyer is the CEO and Founder of Opprtna Therapeutics, advancing therapeutic aptamers targeting critical proteins in neurodegenerative diseases and oncology. With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and over two decades of experience in drug discovery, molecular
biology, and biophysics, he has led R&D teams at Alkermes, LifeMine Therapeutics, Warp Drive Bio, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Ganesh has advanced multiple targets from discovery to lead optimization, forged strategic academic and CRO collaborations, and developed
innovative delivery strategies. His work focuses on translating pioneering research into impactful treatments for CNS disorders and cancer.
Seminars
- Explore how aptamer-based therapeutics can move beyond traditional delivery roles to directly modulate disease biology, unlocking new opportunities for targeting previously undruggable pathways in Parkinson’s disease
- Discover how early-stage discovery and in vitro validation of aptamers are shaping the next generation of CNS-targeting therapies and demonstrating functional activity
- Enable innovative therapeutic development by evaluating intrinsic oligonucleotide chemistry versus conjugation strategies, highlighting how modality design choices can influence CNS penetration, target engagement, and overall clinical potential
