The Archon Genomics X Prize is a $10 million contest to see what company or organization can develop a low-cost accurate sequencing technology. The AP's Malcolm Ritter reports that the testbed sequences will be 100 centenarians ("Secrets of long life sought in DNA of the elderly"), which is a pretty interesting test cohort.
Protective features of a centenarian's DNA can even overcome less-than-ideal lifestyles, says Dr. Nir Barzilai of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. His own study of how centenarians live found that "as a group, they haven't done the right things."
Many in the group he studied were obese or overweight. Many were smokers, and few exercised or followed a vegetarian diet. His oldest participant, who died this month just short of her 110th birthday, smoked for 95 years.
"She had genes that protected her against the environment," Barzilai said. One of her sisters died at 102, and one of her brothers is 105 and still manages a hedge fund.
I doubt they'll be able to explain much of the variance in longevity with 100 genomes, but they'll surely find some things that make a small difference and will lead to a newsworthy outcome. Larger samples will find more of the genetic pathways that influence lifespan, as will adding a wider range of elderly samples from other populations.