Kiana Aran

Dr. Kiana Aran is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering and Medicine at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), with a joint appointment at the UCSD School of Medicine. She leads the Aran Lab at Keck Graduate Institute (Claremont, CA), focusing on biomedical devices for diagnostics and therapeutics. Her research integrates BioMEMS, CRISPR, and graphene-based biosensors to address clinical needs in aging, cancer biomarkers, and drug delivery. She co-founded Cardea Bio and CRISPR QC, advancing precision biotechnology. Aran is Co-Director of UCSD’s Center for Technologies for Healthy Aging and a member of the National Academy of Sciences New Voices initiative.

**Education**: PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Rutgers University; Postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley and the Buck Institute for Aging Research. **Key Roles**: Consultant for the Gates Foundation; CTO of Cardea Bio. **Awards**: 2025 Sony/Nature Top Women in Tech Award, 2024 Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, 2023 Inc. Top 200 Female Founders.

Her research spans

• CRISPR-integrated electronics for genotyping
• Graphene biosensors for viral detection (e.g., SARS-CoV-2)
• Exosome-based diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases
• Lab-on-a-chip systems for multiplexed diagnostics

. Recent articles highlight innovations in multi-omics sensing and CRISPR quality control.

**Awards**: Over 30+ patents, Nature Biomedical Engineering cover features, and recognition in global biotech leadership. **Grants**: NSF CAREER Award, NIH grants for electronic biosensor development. **Labs/Teams**: Aran Lab (Keck), collaborations with Paragraf and the National Academy of Engineering.