A personal view of molecular technology and how it has changed biology.

I have had the pleasure of practicing biology and technology development for the past 35 yearssfirst at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for 3 years, then at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for 22 years, subsequently at the University of Washington (UW) for 8 years, and finally at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) for the past 2 years. In each case, my geographical transitions were prompted by exciting new opportunities and evolving visions of how biology should be practiced. The technology developments I have been associated with over this period helped to catalyze two emerging paradigm changes in biology: systems biology and predictive/preventive medicine.