Dr. Aravind Asokan is Professor and Director of the Danaher Beacon for Gene Therapy Innovation at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, USA. He has appointments in the Departments of Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology. His research group is focused on studying and engineering viruses & RNA platforms to enable transformative, new medicines. Dr. Asokan has co-founded multiple start-ups including Stride Bio (acquired by Ginkgo), Warden Bio (acquired by Kriya Tx), Sphere Gene Therapies and Torque Bio, where he currently serves scientific advisor and board director. He is a director-at-large for the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) and scientific advisor to Ring Therapeutics, Atsena Therapeutics, Mammoth Bio, Coave Therapeutics and Ginkgo Bioworks.