$10 million offered for gene-mapping feat

[Victor]

Dignitaries watch a video during a news briefing to announce the $10 million Archon Genomics X Prize. From left are Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute; former U.S. Rep. Billy Tauzin; Craig Venter, chairman and CEO of the J. Craig Venter Institute; Anousheh Ansari, first female private space explorer and backer of the $10 million Ansari X Prize for private spaceflight; and Stewart Blusson of Archon Minerals, who is contributing the genomics prize money.

The foundation that inspired a private-sector race to space announced a new $10 million prize Wednesday — this time to inspire a race to sequence the human genetic map faster and cheaper.

Although scientists have mapped one person’s genome — through both public and private efforts — it was time-consuming and expensive. The X Prize Foundation wants to inspire someone to map 100 different human genomes in just 10 days.

And just to spice things up, it is offering another $1 million if the team can decode the genomes of 100 more people, including some celebrities and wealthy donors such as physicist Stephen Hawking, talk-show host Larry King, Google co-founder Larry Page and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. (Microsoft is a partner along with NBC Universal in the MSNBC.com joint venture.)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15122834/?GT1=8618