Our science is transforming health.
ISB is uncovering new solutions to the world’s most pressing health problems.
ISB building in South Lake Union at dusk. Image credit: Trevor Dykstra.
Dr. Rupa Immanuel working in the Baliga lab at ISB. Photo credit: Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures.
We are creating the future of health.
Led by Dr. Jim Heath, ISB scientists make breakthrough discoveries in cancer, healthspan, chronic and infectious disease, and environmental issues. Our research teams are smart, agile and efficient. They are free to interact seamlessly, exchange knowledge and share expertise, giving them a distinct advantage over more strictly siloed groups. In addition, our affiliation with Providence and our many relationships with other outstanding research institutes and universities allow us to work closely with the finest scientists in the world.
ISB is committed to expanding access to science education for everyone, everywhere through our innovative K-16 education programs. Our researchers actively support this commitment by contributing their time, energy and creativity.
ISB by the Numbers
170+
ISB employs over 170 full-time staff from 25 countries with 45 different degree fields. ISB is structured similarly to an academic department with faculty members who lead labs.
4000+
4000+ STEM professionals, science educators and students receive professional development and systems biology training annually through our courses and education programs.
Nonprofit
ISB, founded in 2000, is a nonprofit 501(c)3 biomedical research organization located in Seattle. We are an affiliate of Providence, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health care systems.
“ISB’s cross-disciplinary approach allows us to take on the biggest, most complex challenges of our time. Collaboration is one critical area that sets us apart. Our scientists work across labs within ISB. We also collaborate with Providence and the world’s leading researchers, universities, and institutions to further our vision of creating positive change at the epicenter of human health.”
Dr. Jim Heath, ISB President and Professor
In a well-known story, six blind men come across an elephant for the first time. Each one touches a different part of the elephant to figure out what it is. One touches the trunk and thinks the elephant is like a thick snake. Another touches a leg and believes it’s like a tree, and so on. Each blind man makes a guess, but they will never fully understand the elephant until they share their information. Systems biology addresses this challenge by taking a big-picture approach to studying complex biological systems, combining different perspectives to understand the whole system. Image credit: ISB
Systems biology always looks for answers in more than just one place.
Systems biology is an interdisciplinary approach to doing science that focuses on the complex interactions taking place within biological systems. The goal is to understand what these interactions can tell us about the present and future behavior of living organisms.
Dr. Lee Hood pictured with one of his first generation DNA sequencers. Photo credit: ISB
ISB is the first scientific institute dedicated to systems biology.
Co-founded in 2000 by legendary biologist Dr. Lee Hood, ISB is the world’s first institute created for and dedicated to the practice of systems biology. In the decades since, this collaborative and cross-disciplinary approach to science has been adopted by universities and biotech campuses on nearly every continent. ISB continues to remain at the forefront of systems biology and is applying its principles and practices to all aspects of human health.
Institute for Systems Biology
401 Terry Ave NSeattle, WA 98109-5263