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‘Visions of the Future’ Symposium Honors Dr. Lee Hood on his 80th Birthday

ISB recently hosted “Visions of the Future,” a one-day symposium featuring an impressive lineup of researchers. The event was held in October in honor of Dr. Lee Hood’s 80th birthday. Hood is a pioneer in the field of biotechnology, is co-founder and chief strategy officer of ISB, and serves as chief science officer and senior vice president of Providence St. Joseph Health.

All of the speakers focused their presentations on what research and health care will look like in years to come. You can experience these presentations by clicking “play” on the videos below.

Irving Weissman, MD

Dr. Irving Weissman is the founder and director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine since 2002, the former director of the Stanford Cancer Center, and the founder and director of a number of companies established to develop new therapies based on scientific discoveries from his group. Weissman’s presentation was titled “The Importance of Natural Selection of Competing Stem Cells for Stem Cell Biology and Cancer.”

Ralph Snyderman, MD

Dr. Ralph Snyderman is chancellor emeritus, James B. Duke professor of medicine, and director of the Center for Personalized Health at Duke University. Snyderman’s presentation was titled “Health Care 2028: Fulfilling the Promise of Personalized Health Care.”

Nathan Price, PhD

Dr. Nathan Price is associate director and professor at ISB, and is an affiliate faculty member in the Departments of Bioengineering, Computer Science and Engineering, and Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Washington. Price’s presentation was titled “Scientific Wellness, Deep Phenotyping, and the Future of Health.”

Trey Ideker, PhD

Dr. Trey Ideker is a professor of medicine at UC San Diego, and is the director of the National Resource for Network Biology, the San Diego Center for Systems Biology, and the Cancer Cell Map Initiative. Ideker’s presentation was titled “Implementing a Siri of the Cell.”

James R. Heath, PhD

Dr. Jim Heath is president and professor at ISB, and has the position of professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA. Heath’s presentation was titled “Harnessing the Immune System as a High Resolution Window into Personalized Medicine.”

Ellen Rothenberg, PhD

Dr. Ellen Rothenberg is the Albert Billings Ruddock Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology. Rothenberg’s presentation was titled “Decoding Genomic Instructions for Cell Identity, Function, and Development.”

Mike Tyers, PhD

Dr. Mike Tyers is principal investigator at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, and also a professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Montreal. Tyers’ presentation was titled “Chemical Systems Genetics: Towards the Vision of Systems Medicine.”

Roger M. Perlmutter, PhD

Dr. Roger Perlmutter is executive vice president and president of Merck Research Laboratories, Merck’s global R&D organization. Perlmutter’s presentation was titled “Building Better Medicines: Integrating Biology, Chemistry, Informatics, Engineering, and Clinical Research in Drug Discovery.”

Lee Hood, MD, PhD

“I think it is incredibly important that we always leave the flexibility for doing fundamental, curiosity, imaginative research, and that we will always continue to create that seed corn that, in the end, is going to help us — and others — invent the future of a very exciting world,” said Dr. Lee Hood, who presented closing remarks.

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