$10,000,000 for sequencing the genomes of 100 centenarians
The X PRIZE Foundation and Medco Health Solutions, which joined it, have announced changes made to the rules of the Archon Genomics X PRIZE competition announced by the foundation.
The aim of the competition is to stimulate the development of preventive and personalized medicine, which is based on the sequencing of the human genome. The winner of this competition, with $10 million at stake, will be a laboratory that will be able to sequence the genomes of 100 people most quickly, accurately and with the least financial costs within 30 days.
The main change is that as part of the competition, participants will have to sequence the genomes of people who have already celebrated their 100th birthday. Currently, the selection of centenarians is being carried out, on whose genetic secrets experts have high hopes.
The participating teams will receive the genomes to be decoded on January 3, 2012, and the winner of the competition will be determined on February 2 of the same year. The teams will have to fully sequence the genomes of 100 people within 30 days with an accuracy of no more than 1 error per million pairs of nucleotide bases, while spending no more than $1,000 on sequencing one genome. The prize will be awarded to the participant who has shown the result demonstrating the optimal ratio of such indicators as accuracy, cost, completeness and speed of sequencing.
In addition to the genetic explanation of the mechanisms of longevity, the organizers of the contest hope that the information encoded in the DNA of centenarians will help in the development of medicines that will increase the life expectancy of the rest of the human population.
Researchers note that a healthy lifestyle is not necessarily the main secret of longevity. According to a geneticist from Boston University, Dr. Thomas Perls, who participates in the selection of applicants for genetic analysis, "good" genes are often able to neutralize the effects of a far from ideal lifestyle. He claims that many of the centenarians with whom he had to work before were obese, some of them smoked and only a few regularly exercised or followed a healthy diet.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Archon Genomics X PRIZE materials:
$10 Million Archon Genomics X PRIZE to Sequence 100 Centenarians’ DNA and Announces Medco as Presenting Sponsor.
27.10.2011