$68,000 = genome sequenced

From Scientific American...

Someone has won an eBay auction to have their complete genome sequenced. The winning bid, and the only bid, was $68,000, the minimum set by the company Knome, Inc. The funds from the auction will go toward the Archin X Prize for Genomics, a $10 million challenge to decode 100 human genomes in 10 days. Scientific American has details on the auction, and also points to Harvard's Personal Genome Project that's seeking 100,000 volunteers. From SciAm:

"We don't know who the [auction's] winner is," says Knome's Ari Kiirikki. "We know it's a male and we know he's from Europe." But as soon as the payment goes through, probably within days, the company will learn his identity, he adds, and the unknown man will join about 20 others who have had their genes sequenced by Knome.

Normally, the service -- which includes an analysis by Knome's team of clinicians and geneticists so you can understand whether your genetic profile makes you susceptible to certain diseases, such as cancer or Alzheimer's -- costs $99,500. It takes about three months to complete the process, says Kiirikki, Knome's vice president of sales and business development.

(via Boing Boing)