The award in $ 10 million for a solution of a secret of longevity is defined
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
In the US, announced the establishment of a special prize of $ 10 million - Genomics X Prize - which will be awarded to geneticists who discovered the secret of aging.
At the same time, reports appeared that a group of geneticists headed by Jonathan Rothberg, who is known for his participation in the human genome research project, will be eligible for the award.
His colleagues, as well as other contestants, will analyze the genomes of hundreds of centenarians for a month searching for the keys to their health and longevity, and the cost of analyzing each genome should not exceed 1 thousand dollars.
This competition will start in September 2013.
Until May of the next year all participants of the contest must be registered.
The first registered participant was a group of employees of the California-based Life Technologies Corporation, headed by Dr. Rotberg.
Step digit
The decoding of a complete genome for 1 thousand dollars or less is considered an important milestone in medicine.
This figure is considered as the point at which the method of decoding the complete structure of a person's DNA becomes cheap enough to find a daily use in medicine.
This will allow doctors to select drugs in accordance with the genetic profile of the patient, as well as improve the diagnosis of diseases.
Already, a hundred people at the age of 100 agreed to provide their genetic material to the organizers of the competition.
Genetics believe that long-livers have rare genetic characteristics in their genomes, which protect them from cardiovascular and cancer.
If these genetic structures can be detected by simultaneously deciphering hundreds of genomes and comparing the data obtained, this can open the way to finding new treatments and even prolonging life.
Just a hint?
However, many geneticists believe that to convincingly reveal the genomic differences of such a sample - 100 centenarians - is not enough to detect deviations among the 3 billion letters that describe the human genome.
Nevertheless, Jonathan Rotberg, a geneticist and entrepreneur, believes that analyzing the genomes of even hundreds of centenarians will be a useful beginning in the search for a "source of life."
"A hundred people will give you a hint of what determines longevity: a thousand deciphered genomes will confirm your guesses, and ten thousand will let you say - these genes are involved in cardiac and cancer diseases," the scientist said in a conversation with a BBC correspondent .
Dr. Craig Ventner is the founder of the contest, as well as one of the key participants in the project to decipher the first human genome, which ended in 2003. Craig Wentner
Dr. Craig Ventner entered the history of genetics as one of the first participants in the genomic project
According to him, he could not imagine that the decoding of the genome would be improved at such a rapid pace.
"It's amazing that now you can get a complete genome of a person in two hours with the help of a small installation." It took us 10 years, "he says.
The X Prize Foundation offers awards for scientific and technical achievements in various fields, including space research and medicine.
The data obtained as a result of the competition are open and will be published immediately, which will expand the research of the genetic mechanisms of aging.