Leroy Hood to give the Distinguished Speaker lecture at ESHG 2008
Each year the ESHG strives to have an outstanding scientist to deliver a lecture that captures some of the excitement that is associated with the study of genetics and genomics at the forefront of science.
We are pleased to announce that after Nobel Prize winners Sydney Brenner in 2006, and Aaron Ciechanover in 2007, another exciting speaker has agreed to give the 2008 Distinguished Speaker lecture.
This year’s lecture will be given by a pioneer of the new technologies that are now driving genetic discoveries, notably the DNA sequencer. Leroy Hood spent much of his career at Caltech where he and his collaborators were involved in the development of 4 key technologies - the DNA gene sequencer and synthesizer, and the protein synthesizer and sequencer - which comprise the technological foundation for contemporary molecular biology.
In 2002 Leroy Hood co-founded the Institute for Systems Biology in Seattle, which aims to understand complex systems, especially life, from knowledge of the interactions of their component parts.
Dr Hood has received many distinguished awards during his career. Notably, Leroy Hood is the winner of the 1987 Lasker Award for fundamental contributions to the understanding of immune diversity, and of other prestigious prizes for his contributions to the development of technologies for genetic innovation including the automated DNA sequencer. These include the 2005 Heinz Award, the 2003 Lemelson-MIT Prize for Invention and Innovation, the 2002 Kyoto Award. Dr Hood was elected to the Inventors Hall of Fame (for the automated DNA sequencer) in 2007.
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