KANIKA BAJAJ

Dynamic scientist and leader with extensive experience in pharmaceutical research, specializing in AI-enabled automated workflows for protein expression. Proven track record in managing cross-functional drug discovery projects, optimizing high-throughput systems, and leading diverse teams to achieve impactful results in early and late-stage development.

• 2017, Key Research Award at Genentech
• 2008, Human Frontier Science Program Organization (HFSPO) Long term post-doctoral fellowship award
• 2010, Indian National Science Academy Young Scientist Award
• 2000, Gold Medal from Delhi University, India
• 2003, Senior Research Fellowship from Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India

• End to End Semi-automated Mid-scale Protein Screening Platform for drug discovery research, Inna Zilberleyb, Kanika Bajaj (Corresponding author), Current Protocols in Protein Science, 2023
• Targeting ubiquitination dependent TEAD degradation in cancer, Kanika Bajaj Pahuja, Trang Pham, Anwesha Dey et al, elife, 2024
• Actionable activating oncogenic ERBB2/HER2 transmembrane and juxtamembrane domain mutations, Kanika Bajaj Pahuja, Nguyen T, Jaiswal B, Seshagiri, S et al., Cancer Cell, 2018
• Massively parallel single-cell B-cell receptor sequencing enables rapid discovery of diverse antigen-reactive antibodies, Communications Biology, 2019
• Comprehensive genomic analysis identifies pathogenic variants in maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) patients in South India, Viswanathan Mohan, Venkatesan Radha, Thong T. Nguyen, Eric W. Stawiski, Kanika Bajaj Pahuja et al, BMC Med Genet, 2018
• Cell-free Generation of COPII-coated Procollagen I Carriers, Yuan Lin, Baba Satoshi, Bajaj Kanika, Schekman Randy, Bio-protocol, 2017
• Massively parallel nanowell-based single-cell gene expression profiling., Goldstein LD, Chen YJ, Dunne J, Mir A, Hubschle H, Guillory J, Yuan W, Zhang J, Stinson J, Jaiswal B, Pahuja Bajaj Kanika et al., BMC Genomics, 2017
• Phosphoregulatory protein 14-3-3 facilitates SAC1 transport from the endoplasmic reticulum., Pahuja Bajaj Kanika, Wang J, Blagoveshchenskaya A, Lim L, Madhusudhan MS, Mayinger P, Schekman R, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2015
• Spectrum of diverse genomic alterations define non-clear cell renal carcinoma subtypes, Durinck S, Stawiski EW, Pavía-Jiménez A, Modrusan Z, Kapur P, Jaiswal BS, Zhang N, Toffessi-Tcheuyap V, Nguyen TT, Pahuja Bajaj Kanika et al., Nat Genet, 2015
• Ubiquitin-dependent regulation of COPII coat size and function., Jin L
• Pahuja Bajaj Kanika
• Wickliffe KE, Gorur A, Baumgärtel C, Schekman R, Rape M., Nature, 2012
• COPII and the regulation of protein sorting in mammals., Zanetti G, Pahuja Bajaj Kanika, Studer S, Shim S, Schekman R., Nat Cell Biol, 2011
• SEC24A Deficiency Lowers Plasma Cholesterol through Reduced PCSK9 Secretion, Xiao-Wei Chen, He Wang, Kanika Bajaj, et al., e Life, 2013
• The Sec233-Sec31 interface plays a critical role for export of procollagen from the endoplasmic reticulum., Kim SD, Pahuja Bajaj Kanika, Ravazzola M, Yoon J, Boyadjiev SA, Hammamoto S, Schekman R, Orci L, Kim J., J Biol Chem, 2012
• Protein model discrimination using mutational sensitivity derived from deep sequencing., Adkar BV, Tripathi A, Sahoo A, Bajaj Kanika, Goswami D, Chakrabarti P, Swarnkar MK, Gokhale RS, Varadarajan R., Structure, 2012
• Structural correlates of the temperature-sensitive phenotype derived from saturation mutagenesis of CcdB., Bajaj Kanika, Dewan PC, Chakrabarti P, Goswami D, Barua B, Baliga C, Varadarajan R., Biochemistry, 2008
• Stereochemical criteria for prediction of the effects of Proline mutations on protein stability., Bajaj Kanika, Madhusudhan M, Adkar BV, Chakrabarti P, Ramakrishnan C, Sali A, Varadarajan R., Plos Computational Biology, 2007
• Mutagenesis-based definitions and probes of residue burial in proteins., Bajaj Kanika, Chakrabarti P, Varadarajan R., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2005
• Unfolding studies on soyabean agglutinin and concanavalin a tetramers: comparative account., Sinha S, Mitra N, Kumar G, Bajaj Kanika, Surolia A., Biophys J, 2005
• Accurate detection of protein:ligand binding sites using molecular dynamics simulations., Bhinge A, Chakrabarti P, Uthanumallian K, Bajaj Kanika, Chakraborty K, Varadarajan R., Structure, 2004
• Thermodynamic characterization of monomeric and dimeric forms of CcdB (controller of cell division or death B protein)., Bajaj Kanika, Chakshusmathi G, Bachhawat-Sikder K, Surolia A, Varadarajan R., Biochem J, 2004
• Refolding and simultaneous purification by three-phase partitioning of recombinant proteins from inclusion bodies., Raghava S, Barua B, Singh PK, Das M, Madan L, Bhattacharyya S, Bajaj Kanika, Gopal B, Varadarajan R, Gupta MN., Protein Sci, 2008

• Active reviewer for peer-reviewed international journals – e.g. Protein Science, Cell Stress & Chaperones, HFSP journal
• American Society for Cancer Biology member and presented poster at AACR 2019
• Presented as a speaker in Pep Talk and PEGS conferences