Philip Leder, a biologist who helped decipher the genetic code and discovered a genetic cause of cancer, died Feb. 2 at his home in Chestnut Hill, MA. He was 85.

Dr. Leder helped accomplish the final step in deciphering the genetic code early in his career. He went on to help unravel the genetic mechanisms behind the great diversity of antibody molecules. He then discovered that the mismanagement of a gene that guides the growth of cells was a major cause of cancer.

In an interview for a 1994 book, The God I Believe In: Conversations About Judaism, the author, Joshua O. Haberman, asked him if he believed in the hope of a Messiah. Dr. Leder replied, “I do have faith that, as we come to understand ourselves more as beings, as individuals, as genetically programmed organisms, this knowledge will contribute to bettering the human condition. That’s my Messianic faith, in a way.”