Mostafa Ronaghi

{{Short description|Iranian molecular biologist}}

Image:Mostafa Ronaghi.jpg

Mostafa Ronaghi ({{langx|fa|مصطفی رونقی}}; born 1968) is an Iranian molecular biologist, specializing in DNA sequencing methodology. He earned his Ph.D. from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden in 1998.

{{As of|2008}}, he is the Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President at Illumina.{{Cite web |url=http://investor.illumina.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=121127&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1182777&highlight= |title=Illumina {{!}} 2008 Release: Illumina Appoints Mostafa Ronaghi as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer |access-date=2008-08-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003144414/http://investor.illumina.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=121127&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1182777&highlight= |archive-date=2008-10-03 |url-status=dead }} Prior to this position, he was a principal investigator and Senior Research Associate at the Stanford Genome Technology Center at Stanford University, focusing on developing analytical techniques for molecular diagnostics.

He is principal investigator for several grants including grants from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health[http://www.genome.gov/12513210 genome.gov | 2004 Release: NHGRI Seeks Next Generation of Sequencing Technologies] for the development of array-based Pyrosequencing.

In 1998, he described together with Pål Nyren and [https://www.kth.se/pro/sysbio/uhlen-group/researchers/mathias-uhlen-1.67763 Mathias Uhlen]{{cite journal | last1 = Ronaghi | first1 = M | last2 = Uhlén | first2 = M | last3 = Nyrén | first3 = P | year = 1998 | title = A sequencing method based on real-time pyrophosphate | journal = Science | volume = 281 | issue = 5375| pages = 363–365 | doi = 10.1126/science.281.5375.363 | pmid = 9705713 | s2cid = 26331871 }} a solution-based variant of the pyrosequencing technology and co-founded Pyrosequencing AB (renamed to Biotage in 2003). He co-invented Molecular Inversion Probe assay and co-founded ParAllele BioScience to develop this multiplexed technology for genetic testing. ParAllele was acquired by Affymetrix in May 2005.

In 2005, he co-founded NextBio, a search engine for life science data that was acquired by Illumina in 2013.{{Cite web |url=http://investor.illumina.com/phoenix.zhtml?ID=1869001&c=121127&highlight=&p=irol-newsArticle |title=Illumina {{!}} Illumina Signs Agreement to Acquire NextBio, Leader in Analyzing and Aggregating Complex Genomic Data |access-date=2014-02-12 |archive-date=2014-12-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141226202325/http://investor.illumina.com/phoenix.zhtml?ID=1869001&c=121127&highlight=&p=irol-newsArticle |url-status=dead }} He also serves on the board of directors of IntegenX and Aurora Biofuels. In 2008, Ronaghi and Helmy Eltoukhy co-founded Avantome, a DNA sequencing company that was acquired by Illumina in July 2008.[http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1775391/ tradingmarkets.com | 2008 Release: Illumina To Acquire Privately-Held Avantome For $25 Million In Cash Upfront]{{Dead link|date=October 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/illumina-snares-sequencing-tech-60m-buyout |title=Illumina snares sequencing tech in $60M buyout |first=John |last=Carroll|date=23 Jul 2008 |website= fiercebiotech.com|publisher=Questex, LLC |access-date= 19 Oct 2019}}