Biography
Alex Aravanis is CEO and co-founder of Moonwalk Biosciences. Previously Illuminas Chief Technology Officer and Head of Research Product Development, he led programs that delivered tools for research and clinical genomics, including whole-genome sequencing, comprehensive cancer profiling, COVID-Seq, and advanced AI for interpreting genomes, used worldwide today.A serial entrepreneur, Aravanis co-founded GRAIL, serving as Chief Scientific Officer and Head of RD, where he directed research, development, and clinical teams to create a multi-cancer early detection test. Earlier at Illumina, he developed key technologies such as clinical RNADNA assays for fixed tissues, whole-exome analysis, single-cell transcriptomics, and liquid biopsy using cell-free nucleic acids.Aravanis earned a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science with a Physics minor from UC Berkeley, an MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering, and an MD from Stanford. He holds more than 30 patents, has numerous peer-reviewed publications, and serves on biotech Scientific Advisory Boards.