Leroy Hood

Dr. Leroy E. Hood, M.D., Ph.D., Lee, is a Co-Founder of Institute for Systems Biology in January 2000 and serves as its President. He is an Advisor at Rose Ventures, Inc. Prior to that, from 1992 to 1999, Dr. Hood was a Professor at the University of Washington, where he founded and Chaired the Department of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington. From 1970 to 1992, Dr. Hood was a Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology and from 1967 to 1970, he and his colleagues developed the DNA gene sequencer and synthesizer and the protein synthesizer and sequencer, four instruments that paved the way for the successful mapping of the human genome. Dr. Hood was a Senior Investigator at the National Cancer Institute. He was formerly the William Gates III Professor of Biomedical Sciences and the Chair of the Molecular Biotechnology department at the University Of Washington School Of Medicine. Dr. Hood’s professional career began at Caltech, where he and his colleagues developed the DNA sequencer and synthesizer and the protein synthesizer and sequencer--four instruments that paved the way for the successful mapping of the human genome and lead to his receiving the prestigious Russ Prize in 2011, awarded by the Academy of Engineering. Dr. Hood has played a key role in founding more than 14 biotechnology companies, including Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Systemix, Darwin, Rosetta and The Accelerator. Dr. Hood Co-founded Macrogenics, Inc. in 2000. He serves as Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board at NanoString Technologies, Inc. He co-founded Integrated Diagnostics Inc. in 2009 and serves as its Board Member. He Co-founded Homestead Clinical Corporation in 2005 and serves as its Director. He has been Director of Cogenics Icoria, Inc. since January 2002, Geospiza, Inc. since June 2008, Siemens Molecular Imaging, Inc. (formerly, CTI Molecular Imaging Inc.) since June 2002, Omeros Corporation since March 2001 and NABsys, Inc. since June 2010. He has been Director of Roche NimbleGen, Inc. since January 2007 and serves as its Member of Scientific Advisory Board. He has been Director of Institute for Systems Biology since January 2000. He serves as Director of Pluvita Corporation, Intelligent Medical Devices, Inc., Accelerator Corporation and Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. He has been Member of Scientific Advisory Board at PrimeraDx, Inc. since 2011, Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. since August 2009 and Cellumen, Inc. since November 2006. Dr. Hood serves as a Member of Scientific Advisory Board of VLST Corporation, Plexera Bioscience LLC, Allozyne, Inc., Complete Genomics, Inc., NextBio, Inc., Theraclone Sciences, Inc., Cellerant Therapeutics, Inc., Modular Genetics, Inc., Sophia Genetics SA, Genomatica, Inc, Helicos Biosciences Corporation, Illumina, Inc., Fisher Scientific, Iceland Genomics Corp., Immunex Corp., Orchid BioScience, Inc., People Genetics, McLaughlin Research Institute and Real Time Health. He serves as Member of the Advisory Group at OVP Venture Partners. He served as Director of LYNX Therapeutics Inc. since May 2000. He served as a Director of Targeted Growth, Inc. He served as Member of Scientific Advisory Board at BioSeek, Inc. and MPM Capital. He served as Member of the Scientific Advisory Board at Lumera Corporation since June 2007. He serves as a Director of La Jolla Institute For Allergy & Immunology. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, one of only 10 people in the world to be elected to all three academies. Dr. Hood is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has co-authored more than 700 peer-reviewed papers and textbooks in biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, and genetics. Dr. Hood holds 36 patents. His work has been widely published. In addition, Dr. Hood co-authored with Dan Keveles a popular book on the human genome project “The Code of Codes”. He is recognized as one of the world's leading scientists in molecular biotechnology and genomics and has 14 issued patents. At the California Institute of Technology, Dr. Hood and his colleagues pioneered four instruments that constitute the technological foundation for contemporary molecular biology. He participated in the Human Genome Project-the quest to decipher the sequence of human DNA. His research has focused on the study of molecular immunology, biotechnology and genomics. Dr. Hood is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Lasker Award for Studies of Immune Diversity, the Ricketts Medal from the University of Chicago, the 3M Life Sciences Award, the Louis Pasteur Award for Medical Innovation, and the Lasker Basic Medical Sciences Award. He has received numerous scientific and academic awards, including the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award in 1987. Most recently, in 2006 Dr. Hood received the Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy, and Employment for his extraordinary breakthroughs in biomedical science at the genetic level and systems biology. He received the coveted NAE 2011 Fritz J. and Delores H. Russ Prize for automating DNA sequencing that revolutionized biomedicine and forensic science. His lifelong contributions to biotechnology have earned him the prestigious 2004 Biotechnology Heritage Award and for his pioneering efforts in molecular diagnostics, Dr. Hood received the 2003 Association for Molecular Pathology Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics. He also received the Lemelson-MIT Prize for Invention and Innovation in 2003 and 2002 Kyoto Prize in advanced technology. Dr. Hood has also received the prestigious Russ Prize, awarded by the Academy of Engineering. He has received 17 honorary degrees in the US and abroad. In 2007 Dr. Hood was elected to the Inventors Hall of Fame for the automated DNA sequencer. He is pioneering systems medicine and the systems approach to disease. Dr. Hood received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1968, an M.D. degree in Medicine from John Hopkins University in 1964, and an undergraduate degree in Biology from the California Institute of Technology in 1960.