Raised in Haifa, Israel, Moscona was awarded a doctoral degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
[2] In experiments performed through the 1960s, Moscona was able to separate embryonic cells using enzymes and then found that they were able to reform in their original structures once they were allowed to grow back together.
His early work resulted in the identification by Masatoshi Takeichi of a class of proteins called cadherins which play a role in cell adhesion by allowing molecules to recognize each other.
He also developed growth mediums, including solutions made from clotted blood diluted in saline, that were used by other researchers in their work.
He found that changes in the swirling speed and temperature of the solutions would affect the growth of the cells in the medium.