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Press Release 092507 | |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Leroy Hood Achieves Scientific Grand Slam SEATTLE, WA – September 25, 2007 – Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph. D, president of the Institute for Systems Biology, is being inducted into the National Academy of Engineering on Sept. 30 in Washington D.C., making him one of only seven individuals currently elected to three National Academies—the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Science and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. First established in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln, the National Academies elect individuals of the highest distinction to provide advice and counsel to the nation on critical issues of science, medicine and technology. Total membership in the academies is approximately 6,000. "Lee Hood has been a pioneer in bringing engineering to biology through his leadership in the invention, commercialization and application of five of the key instruments that lie at the foundation of biotechnology today: DNA and protein synthesizers and sequencers, as well as the ink-jet oligonucleotide synthesizer," said Ed Lazowska, Ph.D, the Bill & Melinda Gates Chair of Computer Science in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. "He also has played a significant role in founding more than a dozen game-changing biotechnology companies including Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Systemix, Darwin and Rosetta." "Lee"s election to the National Academy of Engineering recognizes these engineering accomplishments, and along with his many other awards such as his membership in the National Academy of Science and the Institute of Medicine, distinguishes him as one of the top few scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs of our age," Lazowska said. In the 1980s, Hood and colleagues invented the automated gene sequencer, protein sequencer, protein synthesizer and DNA synthesizer, the basic technologies that enabled the human genome project. At the same time he was carrying out pioneering work focusing on immune systems functions. Hood is internationally recognized as the founding father of the systems biology approach to biomedicine. He co-founded the Seattle-based Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) in 2000 to integrate biology, computation, engineering, physics and technology development in solving the complex mysteries of the human genome. "Technology advancements such as the gene sequencer have allowed us to obtain more information about complex biological systems than ever before," Hood said. "In order to make sense of all this information we need biologists, mathematicians, computational experts, physicists, engineers and technologists to collaborate at a level never before considered." "In addition, each new technological advance generates ever more data, requiring the development of ever newer technologies to process and analyze all of this information," Hood added. "In the future we will develop medicine that is truly personalized, predictive, preventative and participatory, and it will have been accomplished through the combination of a systems biology approach to medicine, new measurement technologies (e.g. nanotechnology) and novel computational and mathematical tools." Hood has made many contributions to scientific and engineering research and discovery, as well as the national economy. More than 600 scientific publications carry his name. In addition, Hood has coauthored text books in biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology and genetics. He is currently developing a textbook addressing systems biology. He has played a significant role in founding numerous companies, including the following:
About the Institute for Systems Biology
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CONTACT:
Todd Langton Associate Director of Communications and Public Relations (206) 732-1333 
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