Sunday, October 21, 2007

Marc Hodosh and the Archon Genomics X PRIZE

Here are a bunch of articles (many care of the X PRIZE Foundation news scroller) on the Archon Genomics X PRIZE:

The X factor: Innovator leading charge in genetic competition - from Wicked Local Brookline, about Marc Hodosh, executive director of the Genomics X PRIZE. The article suggests that several more competitor teams may be announced. Marc's job as executive director of the prize includes recruiting teams, managing ethical and legal issues, and raising money ... and creating buzz around the competition. Marc has also been involved with entrepreneurial businesses, facial recognition software, the Boston chapter of the FIRST robotics competition, and medical school. Along the way he's also made contacts with many top innovators. All of this should help him with the Genomics X PRIZE.

Entrepreneur Segways Toward Medical Revolution Directing Genomics X PRIZE - by Xconomy - This one also features Marc Hodosh. It goes into a lot of details on his entrepreneurial and other experiences before signing up for the prize. Here's a hint at something we might see: Sometime next year, the foundation will launch a major public awareness campaign to promote the prize and raise awareness of the promise of genomics.

The PRIZE is Right - also by Xconomy - This one is by Marc himself. He covers the history of innovation prizes, their recent resurgence, and where the Genomics PRIZE fits into the X PRIZE Foundation's efforts.

Genome maps to the stars - from GlobeLife - In this case the stars are meant in the Hollywood sense. The article covers the rich and famous who are signing up to have their genomes mapped by the winners of the Genomics X PRIZE, and the kind of medical advances that may happen once genome mapping is cheap enough to populate a genomics database of many people to allow statistical analysis and interpretation of the data.

Upstate New York Laboratory Robotics Interest Group (LRIG) to Host Symposium on Future of Genotyping - by Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News - The symposium features Marc Hodosh, who will be talking about the Genomics X PRIZE. One of the competitors will also be there, as well as at least 1 more expert in genomics. Here's more about the LRIG and the symposium.

They feel the need for DNA speed - by Courant.com - This article goes into details about the technology and motivations of Genomics X PRIZE competitor 454 Life Sciences.

base4 innovaton joins $10 million Archon Genomics X PRIZE - This was announced earlier, but the article gives a brief description of all of the teams' approaches in the process of announcing the new team. The article also describes the big stakes for the rest of us: The stated purpose of the Archon X Prize, to dramatically reduce the time and cost of sequencing genomes, is the key to a health care system that is preventative and proactive.