Seattle genome scientist among Heinz Award winners

[flamingyouth]

A former University of Washington professor who founded the Institute for Systems Biology and owns 14 biomedical patents is one of six people named today to receive a Heinz Award, an annual $250,000 prize given to people for making notable contributions in the arts and humanities; the environment; the human condition; public policy; and technology, the economy and employment.

The former UW professor, Leroy Hood, owns 14 biomedical patents, including the DNA sequencer that laid the foundation for the Human Genome Project.

"We have made tremendous strides in our understanding of the human gene," Hood said in a statement issued Sunday, "but the truly exhilarating chapter is what lies just around the corner — the capacity to give patients their own genetic blueprints that will allow them to be treated in a predictive, preventive and personalized way."

Another award recipient is former emergency room doctor Bill Thomas who took a part-time job at a nursing home which was a first step toward creating an international nonprofit organization that could revolutionize eldercare.

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