Archon X Prize

Archon X PRIZE
Awarded for	"build a device and use it to sequence 100 human genomes within 10 days or less, with an accuracy of no more than one error in every 100,000 bases sequenced, with sequences accurately covering at least 98% of the genome, and at a recurring cost of no more than US$10,000 per genome"
Presented by	X PRIZE Foundation
Country	Worldwide
Reward	US$10 million
Official website	genomics.xprize.org

The Archon X Prize for Genomics, the second X Prize to be offered by the X Prize Foundation, based in Santa Monica, California, was announced on October 4, 2006. The Archon X Prize in genomics is a joint effort of the X Prize Foundation and the J. Craig Venter Science Foundation.

The US$10 million prize is to be awarded to "the first Team that can build a device and use it to sequence 100 human genomes within 10 days or less, with an accuracy of no more than one error in every 100,000 bases sequenced, with sequences accurately covering at least 98% of the genome, and at a recurring cost of no more than $10,000 (US) per genome." The $10 million was donated by Canadian geologist and philanthropist Stewart Blusson, who co-discovered the Ekati Diamond Mine. The name "Archon" is the name of Blusson's company, which refers to the type of lithosphere beneath northern Canada.

In comparison, the Human Genome Project, was completed at an overall cost of some $3 billion (US), in 2003, by the joint effort of several teams, one of which was that of Dr. J. Craig Venter, who led the first private team to successfully sequence a complete human genome. In preceding decades, combined governmental and private funding efforts spent hundreds of millions of dollars to develop the instrumentation required. It took the Venter team hundreds of millions of dollars (US) and nine months to achieve their historic accomplishment.

The J. Craig Venter Science Foundation offered the $500,000 (US) Innovation in Genomics Science and Technology Prize in September 2003 aimed at stimulating development of less expensive and faster sequencing technology. To attract even more resources to this goal, Dr. Venter joined forces with the X Prize Foundation, wrapping his competition and prize purse into the new Archon X Prize for Genomics.

The Competition Guidelines

The purpose of Archon X Prize competition is to develop radically new technology that will dramatically reduce the time and cost of sequencing genomes, and accelerate a new era of predictive and personalized medicine. The X Prize Foundation aims to enable the development of low-cost diagnostic sequencing of human genomes.

If more than one team attempts the competition at the same time, and more than one team fulfills all the criteria, then teams will be ranked according to the time of completion. No more than three teams will be ranked and will share the purse in the following manner: $7.5 million to the winner and $2.5 million to the second place team if two teams are successful, or $7 million, $2 million and $1 million if three teams are successful.

Actual competition events will take place twice a year with all eligible teams given the opportunity to make an attempt, starting at precisely the same time as the other teams. The final deadline for winning the prize is prior to 12:01 AM Pacific Standard Time on October 4, 2013.

Registered Teams

• VisiGen Biotechnologies, Inc. was founded in May 2000.
• 454 Life Sciences Corporation was founded in June 2000. It is headquartered in Branford, Connecticut.
• Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME) is headquartered in Gainesville, Florida.
• Reveo, Inc. was founded in 1991 by Dr. Sadeg Faris, an inventor with a successful track record of taking new technologies to the marketplace.
• base4 innovation was formed in 2007 with support from the University of Warwick and Warwick Ventures.
• Personal Genome X-team is headed by Harvard Medical School genetics professor George Church and is an outgrowth of the privately-funded Personal Genome Project (PGP).
• ZS Genetics, Inc. is a privately-held company based in Massachusetts.
• Cracker is a group based in Taiwan. Led by engineer Chung Fan-Chiou, the team was created in 2007 in conjunction with Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). The team is developing fluorescence-based optical genome sequencing technology that utilizes nanopore methodology, which they believe makes them a strong competitor in the sequencing market.

Articles & News

• X marks the spotlight for elusive benefactor. Retrieved October 11, 2006.
• Genes of the Rich and Famous - Forbes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
• The X Prize Foundation Announces First International Competitor for Genome Sequencing Prize - Marketwire.com. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
• They Feel The Need For DNA Speed - courant.com. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
• Billionaire Science Projects - Forbes.com Retrieved October 17, 2007.
• X games for scientists offers $10m top prize. Retrieved December 4, 2007.
• The Race to Read Genomes on a Shoestring, Relatively Speaking. Retrieved February 9, 2008.
• VisiGen Receives Patent for Real-Time Single-Molecule DNA Sequencing. Retrieved February 21, 2008.
• Google Supporting George Church’s Personal Genome Project. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
• Gene Map Becomes a Luxury Item. Retrieved March 4, 2008.
• Prize money offers knock at scientists` doors. Retrieved March 14, 2008.
• The Next X Prizes. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
• Research Ethics Recommendations for Whole-Genome Research: Consensus Statement. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
• ZS Genetics, Inc. to Vie for Ten Million Dollar Archon X Prize for Genomics. Retrieved April 23, 2008.

External links

• Genomics X Prize