Moonwalk Team

Alex Aravanis is CEO and co-founder of Moonwalk Biosciences, Inc. Prior to Moonwalk, Alex was Illumina’s Chief Technology Officer, Head of Research and Product Development where he was responsible for leading Illumina’s research and product development programs. Under his leadership, Illumina launched the industry’s leading products for genomics-based research and clinical applications, including whole genome sequencing, comprehensive genomic profiling of cancer, COVID-Seq, and the most advanced AI tools for interpreting genomic information.

Alex is an experienced entrepreneur and was involved in founding several start-ups in life sciences and healthcare. Most recently, he co-founded GRAIL Bio where he served as Chief Scientific Officer and Head of R&D. At GRAIL, Aravanis led the research, development, operational, and clinical teams developing its multi-cancer early detection test. Prior to GRAIL, Alex served as Senior Director of R&D for Illumina, Inc., where he developed multiple technologies, including clinical assays for the analysis of RNA and DNA from fixed tissues, whole exome analysis, massively parallel single cell transcriptomics, and liquid biopsy using cell-free nucleic acids.

Alex earned a BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Physics Minor from the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering, and an MD from Stanford University. He holds more than 30 (pending and issued) patents and numerous peer-reviewed publications, additionally he serves on various Scientific Advisory Boards for biotech startups.