Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Children's Hospital launches genome analysis contest

By Michelle Lang

Children’s Hospital Boston is counting on the combination of a $25,000 award and competitive fire to fuel genomic research into disorders of three pediatric patients.

The hospital launched its CLARITY (Children’s Leadership Award for the Reliable Interpretation and appropriate Transmission of Your genomic information) Challenge earlier this week, with a plan to award $25,000 in October to a team judged by an independent panel. The goal of the competition, Children’s Hospital noted in a news release, is to support genomic analysis and interpretation and bring the DNA sequencing process out of research and into practice; the contest may also add insight to rare and orphan diseases.

The challenge, sponsored by Life Technologies Corp. and Complete Genomics, centers around three patients with genetic disorders where the genetic cause is currently unknown. The 20 chosen teams are tasked with analyzing, interpreting and reporting on the responsible genomic factor in each of the three patients’ disorders and decode the results to help doctors and families make informed decisions on follow-up actions.

Children’s Hospital Boston plans to close applications for academic and commercial teams alike for the CLARITY Challenge on March 1.

The field of genome sequencing is particularly hot now, with companies vying to bring the cost of personal DNA sequencing to the $1,000 level. Earlier this month, Ion Torrent Systems Inc. of Guilford, Conn., claimed to be the first to map a human genome in 24 hours for $1,000 with its DNA sequencing machine and chip.  The company announced the news at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Ion Torrent was acquired by Life Technologies for $375 million in August 2010.