October 4, 2006

X Prize for Genomics: Advancing Personalized Medicine

A new $10 million prize was announced to be awarded to the first person who sequences the human genome quickly and cheaply.

The sequencing of the human genome, completed in 2003, took place over a decade at a cost of nearly $3 billion. The result was a genetic blueprint derived from just a few individuals. The benefit to research has been tremendous, leading to a better understanding of disease and entirely new approaches to discovering breakthrough medicines.

But what if we could walk into a doctor’s office, have a blood sample taken, and within days (or hours) have our own genome sequenced? Rapid and cheap sequencing is the next Big Challenge in genomics, with the potential to deliver the benefits of personalized medicine to all. A “personal genome” could allow doctor’s to tailor a program of health care based on our susceptibility to disease, and to administer treatments according to our likelihood of response.

That’s the vision of the X-Prize Foundation, based in Santa Monica Calif., which has established the Archon X Prize for Genomics, a $10 million award for the first privately funded team to decode 100 genomes in 10 days.

The Foundation has some experience in catalyzing leaps in technology for the everyman. They were the sponsors of the Ansari X Prize, which was awarded to the first privately developed manned spacecraft, Burt Rutan’s SpaceShipOne, to travel to and return from the edge of space twice within the period of a week, an accomplishment which was previously only possible through large government funded programs. By establishing the Archon X Prize, the foundation hopes to extend the domain of genomic sequencing to the clinical laboratory or doctor’s office.

According to leading Cambridge University physicist, Stephen Hawking, "This prize and the resulting technology can help bring about an era of personalized medicine.” Hawking, who suffers from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also said, “It is my sincere hope that the Archon X prize for genomics can help drive breakthroughs in diseases like ALS."

Today, it takes several months and at least ten million dollars to sequence a human genome – a huge improvement from 10 years ago, but it will still take an additional 1000-fold improvement before anyone takes the prize. Regardless of whoever reaches that goal first, we all win.

For more information on the X Prize Foundation and the Archon X Prize for Genomics, visit: http://www.xprize.org/xprizes/genomics_x_prize.html