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A $10 million reward has been set for unlocking the secret of longevity
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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In the USA, the establishment of a special prize of 10 million dollars – the Genomics X Prize – has been announced, which will be awarded to geneticists who have uncovered the secret of aging.
At the same time, reports emerged that a group of geneticists led by Jonathan Rothberg, who is known for his participation in the human genome research project, would be competing for the prize.
His colleagues, as well as other participants in the competition, will analyze the genomes of hundreds of centenarians over the course of a month in search of keys to their health and longevity, and the cost of analyzing each genome should not exceed $1,000.
This competition starts in September 2013.
All competition participants must register by May next year.
The first registered participants were a group of employees of the Californian corporation Life Technologies, headed by Dr. Rothberg.
Milestone figure
Sequencing a complete genome for $1,000 or less is considered a major milestone in medicine.
This figure is seen as the point at which the method of decoding the complete structure of human DNA becomes cheap enough to find routine use in medicine.
This will allow doctors to select drugs according to the patient's genetic profile and will also improve the diagnosis of diseases.
Already, one hundred people aged 100 have agreed to provide their genetic material to the competition organisers.
Geneticists believe that long-livers have rare genetic features in their genomes that protect them from cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
If these genetic structures can be discovered by sequencing hundreds of genomes at once and comparing the resulting data, it could open the way to new treatments and even life extension.
Just a hint?
However, many geneticists believe that such a sample – 100 centenarians – is not enough to convincingly detect deviations among the 3 billion letters that describe the human genome.
Still, Jonathan Rothberg, a geneticist and entrepreneur, believes that analyzing the genomes of even a hundred centenarians would be a useful start in the search for the "source of life."
"A hundred people will give you a hint about what determines longevity. A thousand deciphered genomes will confirm your guess, and ten thousand will allow you to say - these genes are involved in heart disease and cancer," the scientist told a BBC correspondent.
Dr. Craig Wentner is the founder of the competition and a key contributor to the project to sequence the first human genome, completed in 2003. Craig Wentner
Dr. Craig Wentner made genetic history as one of the first participants in the genome project
He said he could not have imagined that genome sequencing would improve at such a rapid pace.
"What's amazing is that you can now get a complete human genome in two hours using a small setup. It took us 10 years to do that," he says.
The X Prize Foundation offers awards for scientific and technical achievements in a variety of fields, including space exploration and medicine.
The data obtained as a result of the competition are open and will be published immediately, which will allow for expanded research into the genetic mechanisms of aging.