Technology could eventually help identify genetic links to cancer, other diseases

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (March 13, 2007) – Marc Hodosh has joined the X PRIZE Foundation as senior director. He will lead the $10 million Archon X PRIZE for Genomics that is challenging teams of scientists and entrepreneurs to develop high-speed genome sequencing to enable personalized medicine.

Hodosh is the former president of ID One, a facial recognition technology company. Most recently, he served as a consultant to inventor Dean Kamen at DEKA Research & Development and also chairs Kamen’s FIRST Robotics competition in Boston – an inspiration to thousands of high school students interested in science and technology careers.

“Marc’s impressive facility with engineering and technology coupled with his experience spearheading large-scale scientific competitions will be critical to driving the Archon X PRIZE for Genomics competition” said Tom Vander Ark, president of X PRIZE. “Marc’s proven record and thirst for radical breakthroughs will allow X PRIZE to explore the next great frontier in science.”

The X PRIZE Foundation’s second major prize provides a multi-million dollar incentive to create technology that successfully maps 100 human genomes in 10 days. This could eventually help identify the genetic links to cancer and other diseases.

Hodosh, who lives in Brookline, Mass., previously served as director of business development at Visage Technology, a biometric and secure ID company. He also founded two companies which invented and imported consumer products from Asia.

“We have the opportunity through the X PRIZE’s unique philanthropic prize model to accelerate advances that will help greatly reduce the impact of numerous diseases on future generations,” Hodosh said. “The implications for humanity are staggering, but not until we have access to affordable and fast genome sequencing will we be able to take advantage of the countless benefits.”

Hodosh, 34, has a bachelor of arts in psychology and neuroscience from Ithaca College and a master’s in medicine from Boston University Medical School.

ABOUT THE X PRIZE FOUNDATION
The X PRIZE foundation is an educational nonprofit prize institute whose mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. On October 4, 2004, the X PRIZE foundation captured world headlines when Mojave Aerospace Ventures, led by legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan and Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen, built and flew the world's first private vehicle in space twice in two weeks to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize. The Foundation has since expanded its mission beyond space exploration to offer new prizes for breakthroughs in the areas of life improvement, equity of opportunity and sustainability. In October of 2006, the X PRIZE Foundation announced the $10 million Archon X PRIZE for Genomics, which will reward the first private effort to map 100 human genomes in 10 days, ushering in a new era of personalized preventative medicine. For more information please visit www.xprize.org [1] or email us [2].