Genomics researcher Hood joins NimbleGen board

Madison, Wis. - Dr. Leroy Hood, a prominent molecular biologist and genomics researcher, has joined the board of directors of NimbleGen Systems, a Madison biotechnology firm.

Hood, who is co-founder and president of the Seattle-based Institute for Systems Biology, will serve as chairman of NimbleGen's scientific advisory board.

A former professor at the University of Washington and the California Institute of Technology, Hood gained notoriety by helping to create a DNA sequencer to map the human genome. This spring, he will be inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame.

Both NimbleGen and the Institute for Systems Biology are involved in research to decipher the human genome.

NimbleGen develops DNA microarray technology that enables researchers to examine entire genomes in a single experiment. Meanwhile, the institute is working to establish systems biology, which involves the delineation of each species' genetic code, as a scientific discipline.

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