Speaker Profile
M.D., Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder, Moonwalk Biosciences
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.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Christina Curtis, Stanford
PMWC Award Ceremony Honoree
• W.E. Moerner, Stanford – Nobel Laureate
• Priscilla Chan, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
• Serge Saxonov, 10x Genomics
Fireside Chat
• Moderator: Christina Curtis, Stanford
• W.E. Moerner, Stanford
• Priscilla Chan, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Fireside Chat with Serge Saxonov, 10x Genomics
Unraveling Tissue Architecture with Single-Cell & Spatial Multi-Omics
• Joakim Lundeberg, SciLifeLab
• Garry P. Nolan, Stanford
• Tae Hyun Hwang, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Tumor Evolution & Clonal Dynamics: From Models to Monitoring
• Chair: Christina Curtis, Stanford
Multi-Omics-Driven Early Detection: Beyond Liquid Biopsy
• Ash Alizadeh, Stanford
• Alex Aravanis, Moonwalk Biosciences
Personal Omics at Scale: What Longitudinal Profiles Add to Early Detection
• Michael Snyder, Stanford
AI in Molecular Diagnostics: Integrating Multi-Omics & Clinical Data
• Chair: Marina Sirota, UCSF
• Olivier Gevaert, Stanford
• Rebecca Critchley-Thorne, Castle Biosciences
Nanomechanical Signatures for Cancer Diagnostics: Insights from Tumor Biophysics
• Chair: Marija Plodinec, Artidis
