The X Prize Foundation seeks to highlight progress and hopes in science and technology through extreme challenges, with prizes. One offered prize will provide glory and $10 million for a group able to sequence the genomes of 30 centenarians in 30 days for less than $1,000 per person. Ion Torrent has now announced it’s entry to win the prize – entries are only now starting to appear to seek the prize first announced in 2006.
The challenge money is offered by ExpressScripts as described here. Nominations are now open for the 100 centenarians who will become part of history by donating genomic material for sequencing. One hope is that the work will start to open the door to understand why some people are so long lived.
Ion Torrent is a game changing enterprise. Part of its backstory is here, and ties to Gordon Moore, the creator of the famed Moore’s Law on increasing computing speeds and decreasing costs. Ion Torrent’s basic plan is outlined here. Amazing!
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