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Watch Cracking Your Genetic Code Preview on PBS. See more from NOVA.
Lee Hood on NOVA on March 28
We are eager to watch the NOVA documentary tonight on PBS called "Cracking Your Genetic Code." Lee Hood is one of the featured experts. The producer, Sarah Holt, began with a series of phone interviews late last summer before interviewing Lee on camera in her Boston studio. Here's a preview radio segment on the Emily Rooney Show that features Holt and Dr. Rudy Tanzi, who also appears in the documentary….
PopSci Future of: Preventive Medicine
This video from 2009 is a fun one of Dr. Leroy Hood's appearance on the Science Channel's "PopSci's Future of" show. It explains in simple terms why our researchers are looking for protein biomarkers, which offer the earliest signs of disease.
Our Genomes, Our Selves: The hunt for a disease gene
By Lee Rowen Every once in a while, different components of a research problem come together at just the right time. One lives for, and savors, these occasions. One of my favorite examples is the discovery of the genetic variant that causes hereditary pancreatitis. Hereditary pancreatitis (HP) causes painful attacks of the gut, often beginning in childhood. Over time, the pain and damage can become chronic and there is an…
New York Times Story About Gates Foundation Office Design Resonates
This article by Larry Cheek in the March 18, 2012, New York Times describes the trend of creating open office spaces to encourage creativity, movement and collaboration. The idea is that people need different types of spaces to allow for the full potential of different kinds of work. A one-size-fits-all philosophy doesn't function in this day and age when technology and customer service – and healthcare and science where ISB is concerned…
SXSW Healthcare Track Raises Question About Tech Tipping Point
This morning, one of our researchers who's working parttime to develop pilot projects related to personalized medicine for the P4 Medicine Institute (P4MI) shared an update. Among the challenges of launching a pilot project is getting individuals and, especially, families to collect biometric data over time. This involves a willingness from participants not only to record all this data but share it in the cloud, which raises questions about security…
Personalized Medicine: From Bench to Clinic
Our president, Dr. Leroy Hood, is featured in this Genome Technology article about the challenges of moving personalized medicine into the clinic. (The cover image features Dr. Eric Topol, who recently published a book called "The Creative Destruction of Medicine.")
Medicine 2.0: A Digital You
Dr. Eric Topol was a guest on KUOW/NPR this morning to discuss his new book "The Creative Destruction of Medicine" which talks about how the digital revolution can dramatically change healthcare and the practice of medicine. When we talk about P4 Medicine, we encourage people to understand – and embrace – the technology that's already available and the promise of a future when doctors will know exact data about your…
Quantified Health: For Control Freaks or Is It the Future?
We've all heard the advice that we have to be our own advocates when it comes to healthcare. Larry Smarr (and other "self-quanters") has taken that to the Nth degree by collecting as much biological data about his body and using the information to improve his health. This feature article in MIT's Technology Review is a great read about Smarr's experience as The Patient of the Future. Smarr will be…
All Hope is Not Lost for Better Healthcare
By Jeremy Johnson I used to feel a hopelessness about modern healthcare. We would talk in circles about how some people would get the care they needed, others would not, and that was the way of the world. Being what the insurance company calls a “young and healthy,” I had the luxury of watching the game unfold, but I didn’t have anything personal at stake. Then, a few Novembers back,…
Questions From Our Young Scientists to Obama
Recently, the White House posted a call for questions, which the President would then answer via Google Plus Hangout. Three of our young researchers submitted video questions to the White House YouTube page. Check out the videos:
Our Genomes, Our Selves
By Lee Rowen In February of 2001 I headed off to Washington DC to participate in an extravagant celebration of scientific achievement. Preliminary drafts of the human genome’s DNA sequence were being published in Nature and Science magazines, and those of us who’d spent years immersed in the Human Genome Project were ready to exult, for one precious weekend, before spending yet more years finishing the sequence to high quality….
Does Being a Compliance Manager Make Me the Bad Guy?
By Chris Witwer Nature.com recently published an article about research misconduct at a Chinese research institution. Dr. Mu-ming Poo, Director of the Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai, is quoted saying, “Very few people in the funding agency or in the scientific community are willing to be the 'bad guy' and enforce the regulations.” Wait! Bad guy? That’s what I do for a living – enforce the regulations! Am I a bad…
I ♥ Proteins
By Terry Farrah Since I first learned about them as a college sophomore, protein molecules have been my scientific passion. I love them for the beauty of their shapes and functions. Protein molecules are central to the workings of life, but in popular culture they are the unsung hero next to their high profile cousin, DNA. Everyone knows that DNA is the blueprint for life. But does one section of…
Even Our Interns Are Rock Stars
Gordon Sun is an intern in Rob Moritz's lab. His mother, Sarah Li, is a research associate in the Moritz group. Gordon is a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search and Natasha Ryan from KING-TV is interviewed him. Congratulations to all! Watch the interview:
Inspiring Future Scientists
Our president, Lee Hood, has always been committed to K-12 science education. When heard that a group of elementary school children were coming to ISB to take a tour, he made sure to take the time to speak to them.
Dr. Leroy Hood: ‘Biological Complexity Under Attack’
Dr. Leroy Hood wrote this piece about systems biology and big science for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. Read the article. "This is a truly remarkable time in the biological sciences. Biology now has the opportunity to effectively attack some of the most fundamental problems of society, including healthcare, agriculture, bio-energy, a sustainable environment, and nutrition. "These opportunities are a result of system strategies for probing biological complexity, emerging technologies…
Dr. Leroy Hood Receives Palmaz Award
Our president, Dr. Leroy Hood (center), received the BioMed SA's 6th Annual Julio Palmaz Award for Innovation in Healthcare and the Biosciences. To read about the award, visit this link.
Biomedical Pioneer: Dr. Leroy Hood
Dr. Leroy Hood, ISB's president and co-founder, was featured in this Q&A in Medgadget: "If you are involved in biomedical research you have almost certainly used a device or technique developed by Leroy Hood. The most notable among his innovations include the automated DNA sequencer and synthesizer as well as the automated protein sequencer and synthesizer. For his work on these four instruments – cornerstones of modern molecular biology –…