Most of today’s healthcare still treats problems after they happen. Dr. Leroy Hood thinks that needs to change. In this episode of Precision Medicine Made Simple, he explains how genomics, regular health tracking, and AI can shift the focus to preventing disease before it starts.

Dr. Hood is one of the scientists who helped build the automated DNA sequencer that powered the Human Genome Project. He also founded the Institute for Systems Biology. He has worked across research, government, and healthcare to push ideas that were unpopular at the time but are now standard practice.

You’ll hear how he went from a professor at Caltech to building new departments, starting research institutes, and working with governments around the world to change how healthcare works.

He also explains the idea of P4 medicine: predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory care and why most of the healthcare system isn’t built to support it yet.

Key Takeaways

• Seven shifts that shaped Dr. Hood’s career and could change medicine
• Why most healthcare money goes to chronic disease and how to cut that
• How genome and phenome data can find diseases years before symptoms
• What polygenic risk scores mean for different ethnic groups
• How AI helps doctors create personalized care plans
• How useful data can slow aging, prevent Alzheimer’s, and support your health
• Why chasing profits slows down U.S. healthcare
• How kids in Seattle learn to manage their own health
• Why commercial insurance may fail if it doesn’t adapt
• How Tom Brady trained his brain to last longer  and how you can apply that

In This Episode

• [00:00] Introduction to Dr. Leroy Hood's journey
• [01:49] The evolution of precision medicine
• [03:11] Introducing  Dr. Leroy Hood
• [04:41] Dr. Hood's early career and challenges
• [06:43] The birth of systems biology
• [08:20] Pioneering cross-disciplinary research
• [10:56] The Human Genome Project
• [13:49] Establishing systems biomedicine
• [22:51] The Luxembourg initiative
• [23:45] Data-driven health insights
• [30:42] Challenges with polygenic risk scores
• [31:42] Ancestry and genetic variants
• [32:52] Pharmacogenomics and drug response
• [33:16] Rare diseases and carrier status
• [34:57] Lifestyle genetics and athletic injuries
• [36:18] Actionable possibilities in genomics
• [38:27] Economic impact of chronic disease prevention
• [39:04] Obstacles to deep health analysis
• [40:48] Advancements in personalized medicine
• [45:50] The future of health care and AI
• [56:15] Brain health and cognitive function
• [59:39] Conclusion and future topics

Notable Quotes

• [00:00:39] "I decided “Big Data” was necessary to deconvolute the complexity of human biology. But the instrumentation for “Big Data” didn't exist at that point in time." — Dr. Leroy Hood
• [00:11:41] "The big science of the genome project revolutionized so many fields of biology in profound ways that it's really quite remarkable." — Dr. Leroy Hood
• [00:12:15] "The Human Genome absolutely transformed our understanding of how we can think about human biology." — Dr. Leroy Hood
• [00:13:39] "If you really want to have fun with science, you can't do it at a place where people are criticizing two of the major thrusts in your laboratory." — Dr. Leroy Hood
• [00:44:14] "Over the last 40 years, Americans extended their lifespan by 10 years. They didn't expand their health span by a single year." — Dr. Leroy Hood
• [00:54:53] "I think the health care industry is going to have to adapt to a very different reality than they've adapted to now." — Dr. Leroy Hood
• [00:55:05] "Imagine focusing on keeping people well and avoiding disease. I mean, that isn't how these people make money." — Dr. Leroy Hood
• [00:58:21] "The brain is plastic, it can be changed." — Dr. Leroy Hood

Our Guest

Dr. Leroy Hood is a biologist and technologist. He led the development of the DNA sequencer that made the Human Genome Project possible. He has founded several research centers and published widely on systems biology and health monitoring. He now focuses on using genomics and phenomics to help people stay healthy longer.

Resources and Links

Dr. Leroy Hood

• https://isbscience.org/people/leroy-hood
• https://hood.isbscience.org/
• https://x.com/ISBLeeHood
• https://www.facebook.com/isbsci
• https://scholar.google.com/citations

Taylor Cu

• https://precision-medicine-made.captivate.fm/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorcu
• https://www.instagram.com/taylor_cu
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Dr. William Stanford

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-stanford-md-phd-facp

Sponsored by: Biography Health

This episode is sponsored by Biography Health — where DNA-powered healthcare is designed just for you. Biography Health is a HIPAA-compliant precision medicine platform that equips providers with AI-driven recommendations powered by your genetics, health history, and clinical insights — all while keeping data private, secure, and independent from large EHR systems.

If you're a provider ready to bring precision medicine into your practice, visit BiographyHealth.com to learn more.

Or, if you're a patient who wants your doctor to explore this, point them our way — we’ll help them bring personalized healthcare to life.