The Harvard Medical School (specifically George Church as founder) has had going for some time a project that hit a chord with me. In essence, under the Personal Genome Project, you volunteer to have your entire genome mapped. The catch is that it becomes public property. At the extremes, one can view this two ways: (i) you get your full genome for free, at a time when commercial offerings range from US$50,000 or double; or (ii) you’re donating your genome to science like you would your post-death organs. The latter perspective is the one that mightily to me, given my values and interest in layman’s interest in personal genomics (see my earlier post).
I have actually read the two-phase application forms and begun the mandatory online exam-tested genetics course, but only today have I realized that the project seems to be inching, rather than racing, along. As far as I can tell from the website, they’re only processing ten applicants. News on the website has dried up since March. And I hadn’t realized one needs to register interest first. So . . . for now, that’s what I do, I register.