Dr. Lee Hood at VaBIO-VCU Systems Biology Event

Dr. Leroy Hood, the famous president of the Institute for Systems Biology was the special guest at the Virginia Biotechnology Association's “Biotech After Hours,” June 4, at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond. The event was held in conjunction with the opening reception for the “2007 Summit on Systems Biology” sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University. Hundreds of scientists, students and biotech company representatives from Virginia, North Carolina and other states attended this important scientific meeting.

(Photo: Mark Herzog, executive director of VaBIO; Lee Hood, president of the Institute of Systems Biology; and Maciek Sasinowski, CEO of Incogen and chairman of VaBIO. Photo credit: Mark Licata)

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 Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) Award for Excellence in Molecular Diagnostics. He was also awarded the 2003 Lemelson—MIT Prize for Innovation and Invention, the 2002 Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology and the 1987 Lasker Prize for his studies on the mechanism of immune diversity.

The event was sponsored by Biogen Idec, Virginia Commonwealth University, AeroTek Scientific, Clearpoint Resources, Inc., and Latimer, Mayberry & Matthews IP Law, LLP.