Bionano Genomics, Inc. (NASDAQ: BNGO), a leader in genome analysis solutions, today announced the appointment of Alex Hastie, Ph.D., as its Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), effective July 20, 2026. In this role, Dr. Hastie will lead the company’s global scientific strategy, innovation roadmap, and research initiatives, advancing Bionano’s mission to expand the research application of its genome analysis technologies and to develop a clinical applications strategy.
Dr. Hastie brings more than two decades of expertise in genomics, molecular biology, and technology development and was a foundational figure in Bionano’s scientific evolution. Over 14 years, he played a key role in the development and advancement of Bionano’s core technologies, helping establish the company’s leadership in optical genome mapping (OGM). Following a brief period working on genomic testing in oncology for diagnosis and therapy selection, Dr. Hastie now returns to assume this executive leadership position.
“Alex is a world-class scientist and one of the original architects behind Bionano’s technology,” said Dr. Al Luderer, chairman and interim chief executive officer of Bionano. “His deep institutional knowledge, scientific vision, and history of innovation at Bionano uniquely position him to lead our scientific organization. We are excited to welcome him back to the company into this critical leadership role.”
Response in the scientific community is overwhelmingly positive:
- “Alex Hastie has long been Mr. OGM and was essential in our early collaborative studies to bring OGM into routine use,” said Dr. Alexander Hoischen, PhD, Professor of Genomic Technologies at Radboud University Medical Center, The Netherlands. “Having Alex Hastie back means a great deal to the OGM community. With his in-depth understanding of the technology, he will help guide robustness and scalability, and I am excited to expand our collaboration for research use of Bionano’s technology from ultra-high molecular weight DNA isolation to OGM, structural variant analysis, and interpretation.”
- “I am delighted to see Alex Hastie return to Bionano,” said Dr. Ying Zou, MD, PhD, FACMG, Director of the Cancer Genomics Lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “His deep expertise in OGM technology and proven track record in advancing genomic research make this an exciting development for the field. I look forward to strengthening our collaboration to unlock new insights into cancer biology and expand the applications of OGM across both hematologic and solid tumor malignancies.”
- Dr. Rashmi Kanagal-Shamanna, MD, Professor and Co-Director of the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory at MD Anderson Cancer Center, said, “Dr. Alex Hastie has been a thoughtful and visionary leader in applications of OGM. His scientific expertise and deep understanding of the platform will be a tremendous asset as Bionano continues to advance OGM applications in genomics community.”
- “I am thrilled that Dr. Alex Hastie joins as Chief Scientific Officer and excited that his vision will help drive important advances in applications for optical genome mapping,” said Dr. Wahab A. Khan, PhD, Director of Clinical Cytogenetics at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.
“We are entering a season of reinvention and new possibilities,” said Dr. Hastie, Chief Scientific Officer of Bionano. “While I am proud of the foundation we built in the past, it is time to look to a future where we will provide an expanding portfolio of novel and robust solutions for clinical genomic research.”
This appointment underscores Bionano’s continued commitment to scientific leadership, innovation, and clinical advancement. During his earlier tenure, Dr. Hastie was instrumental in advancing Bionano’s proprietary platforms and expanding applications of OGM across cytogenomics, oncology, and rare disease research. As Chief Scientific Officer, he will focus on strengthening global clinical and research collaborations, expanding evidence generation, and accelerating the translation of OGM into broader applications for clinical research use. As the company scales globally, Dr. Hastie’s leadership will be central to driving scientific excellence, expanding adoption, and shaping the future of genome analysis.
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