SEATTLE, April 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA), in collaboration with BC Biotech, BC MedTech, BioAlberta, Idaho BioScience Association, Montana Bioscience Alliance and the Oregon Bioscience Association, is proud to announce that Dr. Leroy Hood, President, Institute for Systems Biology, and one of the world’s leading scientists in molecular biotechnology and genomics, will give the welcome speech for Invest Northwest 2005.
Dr. Hood will present, “Predictive and Preventive Medicine: Unique Opportunities for Commercialization,” the morning of April 26 as the first of several speeches and discussions during the two-day life science CEO and investor forum, April 26-27, 2005 in Seattle.
A passionate and dedicated researcher, Dr. Hood holds numerous patents and awards for his scientific breakthroughs and prides himself on his life-long commitment to making science accessible and understandable to the general public. One of his foremost goals is bringing hands-on, inquiry-based science to K-12 classrooms. Dr. Hood earned an M.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1964 and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1968. 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. Dr. Hood was also one of the first advocates of and is a key player in the Human Genome Project -- the quest to decipher the sequence of the human DNA. He also played a pioneering role in deciphering the secrets of antibody diversity.
In 1992, Dr. Hood moved to the University of Washington to create the cross-disciplinary Department of Molecular Biotechnology. In his role as the William Gates III Professor of Biomedical Science, he applied his laboratory expertise in DNA sequencing to the analysis of human and mouse immune receptors and initiated studies in prostate cancer, autoimmunity, and hematopoietic stem cell development.
In 2000, Dr. Hood co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, WA to pioneer systems approaches to biology and medicine. He serves as President of the Institute and continues to pursue his interest in biology, medicine, technology, development, and computational biology. He has played a role in founding numerous biotechnology companies, including Amgen, Applied Biosystems, Systemix, Darwin, Rosetta, and MacroGenics.
Most recently, Dr. Hood’s lifelong contributions to biotechnology have earned him the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Prize for Invention and Innovation. With his development of the DNA gene sequencer and other automated biotechnical instrumentation, Dr. Hood played a crucial role in contributing to the successful mapping of the human genome during the 1990s.
“We can be confident that Leroy Hood will give us a look at the future of predictive and preventive medicine that will open up all kinds of new possibilities,” said Jack Faris, Ph.D., President of WBBA.
To learn more about or to register for Invest Northwest 2005, visit http://www.investnorthwest.org/. *Online registration closes on April 15, 2005*
About The Institute for Systems Biology: The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is an internationally renowned non-profit research institute dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. ISB’s goal is to unravel the mysteries of human biology to identify strategies for predicting and preventing diseases such as cancer, diabetes and AIDS. For more information, please visit http://www.systemsbiology.org/ .
About Invest Northwest 2005: To be held April 26-27 in Seattle, Invest Northwest is a two-day forum for venture capitalists, angel investors, analysts, investment bankers, institutional investors, pension fund managers, and pharmaceutical and biotech corporate partners. The event will provide members of the investment community an opportunity to meet CEOs and senior executives from 63 selected life science companies based in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, please visit http://www.investnorthwest.org/ .
About the WBBA: Based in Seattle, the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) is a not-for-profit association of Washington state-based biotechnology and medical device companies, research institutions and related organizations. WBBA is working with leaders across the state on a comprehensive bioscience strategy for Washington’s future while serving its 400+ members through political advocacy, member services, information and business development. For more information, visit http://www.wabio.com/.
For More Information: Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association Pam Love 206-624-1967 pamlove@washbio.org
Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association
CONTACT: Pam Love of Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association,+1-206-624-1967, or pamlove@washbio.org
Web site: http://www.systemsbiology.org/
Web site: http://www.investnorthwest.org/
Web site: http://www.wabio.com/
