Leroy Hood Biography

Dr. Leroy E. Hood, M.D., Ph.D., Lee is the President of the Institute for Systems Biology, which he co-founded in January 2000. He works at Rose Ventures, Inc. as an advisor. Dr. Hood was a Professor at the University of Washington from 1992 to 1999, when he created and chaired the Department of Molecular Biotechnology. Dr. Hood taught biology at the California Institute of Technology from 1970 to 1992, and between 1967 and 1970, he and his colleagues invented the DNA gene sequencer and synthesizer, as well as the protein synthesizer and sequencer, four instruments that paved the way for the successful mapping of the human genome. Dr. Hood worked at the National Cancer Institute as a Senior Investigator. He was formerly the University of Washington School of Medicine's William Gates III Professor of Biomedical Sciences and Chair of the Molecular Biotechnology Department. Dr. Hood's professional career began at Caltech, where he and his colleagues created the DNA sequencer and synthesizer, as well as the protein synthesizer and sequencer—four instruments that paved the way for the successful mapping of the human genome and earned him the Academy of Engineering's prestigious Russ Prize in 2011. Dr. Hood helped to create more than 14 biotechnology businesses, including Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Systemix, Darwin, Rosetta, and The Accelerator, to name a few. In the year 2000, Dr. Hood co-founded Macrogenics, Inc. He is the Chairman of NanoString Technologies, Inc.'s Scientific Advisory Board. He is a board member of Integrated Diagnostics Inc., which he co-founded in 2009. He is the Director of Homestead Clinical Corporation, which he co-founded in 2005. Since January 2002, he has served as a Director of Cogenics Icoria, Inc., Geospiza, Inc., Siemens Molecular Imaging, Inc. (previously CTI Molecular Imaging Inc.), Omeros Corporation since March 2001, and NABsys, Inc. Since June 2010. Since January 2007, he has been a Director of Roche NimbleGen, Inc. and a member of its Scientific Advisory Board. Since January 2000, he has served as the Director of the Institute for Systems Biology. Pluvita Corporation, Intelligent Medical Devices, Inc., Accelerator Corporation, and Iverson Genetic Diagnostics, Inc. all have him on their board of directors. Since 2011, he has served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for PrimeraDx, Inc., Cellular Dynamics International, Inc., and Cellumen, Inc. 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, and more. He is a member of the OVP Venture Partners Advisory Group. Since May 2000, he has been a Director of LYNX Therapeutics Inc. He worked at Targeted Growth, Inc. as a director. At BioSeek, Inc. and MPM Capital, he was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board. Since June 2007, he has been a member of Lumera Corporation's Scientific Advisory Board. He is the Director of the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, making him one of just ten persons in the world to have membership in all three academies. Dr. Hood is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology, and genetics, he has co-authored over 700 peer-reviewed publications and textbooks. Dr. Hood is the owner of 36 patents. His art has received a lot of attention. Dr. Hood also co-authored "The Code of Codes," a famous book about human genome research, with Dan Keveles. He has 14 granted patents and is considered one of the world's premier scientists in molecular biotechnology and genomics. Dr. Hood and his colleagues at the California Institute of Technology invented four devices that have become the technological underpinning for modern molecular biology. He was a part of the Human Genome Project, which aimed to decode the human DNA sequence. Molecular immunology, biotechnology, and genomics have been the emphasis of his research. Dr. Hood has won several honors, including the Lasker Award for Immune Diversity Studies, the University of Chicago's Ricketts Medal, the 3M Life Sciences Award, the Louis Pasteur Award for Medical Innovation, and the Lasker Basic Medical Sciences Award. He is the recipient of several scientific and academic honors, including the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award, which he won in 1987. Dr. Hood most recently earned the Heinz Award in Technology, Economy, and Employment in 2006 for his outstanding discoveries in genetics and systems biology in biomedical science. He was awarded the prestigious NAE 2011 Fritz J. and Delores H. Russ Prize for revolutionizing medical and forensic research by automating DNA sequencing. Dr. Hood won the renowned 2004 Biotechnology Heritage Award for his career contributions to biotechnology, and the 2003 Association for Molecular Pathology Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics for his pioneering work in molecular diagnostics. In 2003, he was awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize for Invention and Innovation, as well as the Kyoto Prize for Advanced Technology in 2002. Dr. Hood has also been awarded the Academy of Engineering's renowned Russ Prize. In the United States and internationally, he has received 17 honorary degrees. Dr. Hood was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 2007 for his work on the automated DNA sequencer. He is a pioneer in the field of systems medicine and illness management. Dr. Hood graduated from the California Institute of Technology with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1968, an M.D. in Medicine from John Hopkins University in 1964, and an undergraduate degree in Biology from the California Institute of Technology in 1960.

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