Hood: Trailblazer of the Genomics Age

Hood: Trailblazer of the Genomics Age

Lee Hood did that rarest of things. He enabled scientists to see things they couldnâ€™t see before and do things they hadnâ€™t dreamed of doing. Scientists can now sequence complete human genomes in a day, setting in motion a revolution that is personalizing medicine.

Hood, a son of the American West, was an unlikely candidate to transform biology. But with ferocious drive, he led a team at Caltech that developed the automated DNA sequencer, the tool that paved the way for the Human Genome Project. He captivated scientists with his almost religious fervor for the new biology enabled by the machines.

Hoodâ€™s brilliance, rebellion, enthusiasm, and ego earned him as many admirers as enemies. His management style, once described as â€œcreative anarchy,â€ alienated many. Some collaborators seethed, claiming he took too much credit. Fellow Caltech biologists charged that his empire building was out of control and ousted him as their chairman. A fraud in his lab made him consider, for a moment, quitting science.

Wooed by money from Bill Gates, Hood started over at the University of Washington. His impatience for rules burned bridges once again. Hood left at age sixty-one to start his own institute. Would he finally achieve the ultimate application of the genome projectâ€”personalized medicine?

In â€œHood: Trailblazer of the Genomics Age,â€ journalist Luke Timmerman zeroes in on a charismatic, controversial personality. Never-before-reported details are drawn from the scientistâ€™s confidential files, public records, and more than 150 interviews with Hood and his family, friends, collaborators, and detractors. The result is not just a revealing portrait of one of the most influential biologists of our time, but a deeply human look at science itself.

"Excellent...a window into the birth of personalized medicine. Read it!"
- Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Emperor of All Maladies" and "The Gene"

"A must-read popular science book."
- Forbes

"Timmerman captures the glory and clay feet of a great scientist, like Jim Watson did for himself in The Double Helix."
- Phillip A. Sharp, Institute Professor at MIT, Nobel Prize-winning biologist

"What a terrific book about a great scientist who has changed the world we live in, and the personal and technical challenges he faced. Luke Timmerman has done a remarkable job, through numerous interviews, of capturing all aspects of Lee Hood's amazing life story."
- Robert Langer, Institute Professor at MIT, winner of the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology.

"A terrific portrait, not just of Hood but science itself, both of them human, flawed, complicated and ultimately triumphant."
- Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist, author of "The Poisoner's Handbook"

"I couldn't put this book down."
- Atul Butte, director, Institute for Computational Health Sciences, University of California-San Francisco

"A fascinating human account of the life of a person who truly has changed the world, persevering in the face of consistent establishment skepticism to achieve his visions."
- Ed Lazowska, Bill & Melinda Gates chair of computer science and engineering, University of Washington

"A compelling, deeply human read about one of our country's most inventive scientists - and an unobstructed view into the egos and drama of modern high-stakes research."
- David A. Shaywitz, Chief Medical Officer, DNAnexus

"A revealing story that should resonate beyond the biotech world."
- Todd Bishop, co-founder, GeekWire

"An engrossing look at the man, his times, the technology he brought into being, and the implications for humanity."
- San Diego Union-Tribune

"A thorough biography [that] never shies away from the contradictions of this forceful personality. ... Hood deserves to be a household name."
- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"A page-turner."
- Bio-IT World
Country USA
Manufacturer Bandera Press
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2016-08-06
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Bandera Press
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2016-08-06
Format	Kindle eBook