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Dr. Leroy Hood
M.D., Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1964
Ph.D., Biochemistry, California Institute of Technology, 1968
Dr. Hood's research has focused on the study of molecular immunology, biotechnology,
and genomics. His professional career began at Caltech where he and his colleagues pioneered four
instruments — the DNA gene sequencer and synthesizer, and the protein synthesizer and
sequencer — which comprise the technological foundation for contemporary molecular biology.
In particular, the DNA sequencer has revolutionized genomics by allowing the rapid automated
sequencing of DNA, which played a crucial role in contributing to the successful mapping of
the human genome during the 1990s. In 1992, Dr. Hood moved to the University of Washington as
founder and Chairman of the cross-disciplinary Department of Molecular Biotechnology. In 2000,
he co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, Washington to pioneer systems
approaches to biology and medicine.
Most recently, Dr. Hood's lifelong contributions to biotechnology have earned him the prestigious
2004 Biotechnology Heritage Award, and for his pioneering efforts in molecular diagnostics the
2003 Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics.
In 2006 he received the Heinz Award in Technology, the Economy and Employment for his extraordinary
breakthroughs in biomedical science at the genetic level. In 2007 he was elected to the
Inventors Hall of Fame (for the automated DNA sequencer).
He has published more than 600 peer-reviewed papers, received 14 patents, and has co-authored textbooks in biochemistry, immunology, molecular biology,
and genetics and is just finishing a text book on systems biology. In addition, he coauthored with Dan Keveles a popular book on the human genome project-The Code of Codes.
Dr. Hood is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy
of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering. Indeed, Dr. Hood is one of
7 (of more than 6000) scientists elected to all three academies (NAS, NAE and IOM). Dr. Hood has also played a role
in founding more than 14 biotechnology companies, including Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Systemix, Darwin and Rosetta.
He is currently pioneering systems medicine and the systems approach to disease.
Awards
2005 Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment
Development and commercialization of high throughput biology (automated protein and DNA sequencing)
The Heinz Awards were created to provide a message of inspiration to each and every one of us regarding the power of the individual in American society.
Established by Teresa Heinz in 1993 to honor the memory of her late husband, U.S. Senator John Heinz, the Awards celebrate the accomplishments and spirit of the Senator by recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of greatest importance to him.
2003 Lemelson-MIT Prize for Invention and Innovation
Automated DNA sequencer that made the Human Genome Project possible
Based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA, the Lemelson-MIT Program was established in 1994 by the late independent inventor Jerome H. Lemelson and his wife, Dorothy. The Program´s mission is to raise the stature of inventors and innovators and to foster invention and innovation among young people. It accomplishes this by celebrating inventor/innovator role models through outreach activities and annual awards, including the world´s largest for invention—the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. The Lemelson-MIT Program is funded by The Lemelson Foundation, which supports other invention initiatives at the Smithsonian´s National Museum of American History, Hampshire College, the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance and the University of Nevada, Reno.
2002 Kyoto Prize
Development of advanced biological instrumentation
The Inamori Foundation was established as a not-for-profit organization in 1984 by Dr. Kazuo Inamori , founder and chairman emeritus of Kyocera Corporation. The Inamori Foundation reflects Dr. Inamori's belief that human beings have no higher calling than to strive for the greater good of humankind and all the word, and that mankind's future can be assured only when there is a balance between scientific development and psychological maturity. It is characteristic of the Kyoto Prizes that they are presented in appreciation not only of outstanding human achievements, but also of the spirit that motivated each laureate's contributions to mankind.
1987 Lasker Award
Fundamental contributions to the understanding of immune diversity
The Albert Lasker Medical Research Award celebrates scientists, physicians, or public servants whose accomplishments have made major advances in the understanding, diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and even cure of many of the great crippling and killing diseases of our century.
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Contact information:
Phone: 206-732-1201
Office: 219
Executive Assistant
Shirley Meinecke
(206) 732-1236
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Lee Hood's Commemorative Lecture for the 2002 Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technologies
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Lee Hood's Whitman College Commencement Address
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