Personal Genome Project

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

We aim to enroll 100,000 volunteers in the PGP, although the pace at which the enrolled population will expand is unknown.

Minimum Eligibility Criteria for the PGP-Boston

• Willing to publicly share genetic, health and trait data
• 21 years of age or older
• United States citizen or permanent resident with a United States Permanent Resident Card (USCIS Form I-551)
• Please note that anyone potentially subject to undue influence or coercion by the principal investigator (PI), George Church, via employment in the PI's lab or enrollment in a class or program where the PI provides evaluation of student performance, is ineligible to participate in the PGP.
• If you do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria you may still participate in the eligibility screening process, but you will not be invited to enroll in the PGP until all eligibility criteria are met.

Not a citizen of the United States?

If you are not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident (as defined above), we still would like for you to register your interest in participating in public genomics research. We are actively establishing PGP research studies with collaborators in other countries outside the United States and we will contact you with you more information if you register now.

Enrollment in the PGP

If you are enrolled in the PGP, we want you to understand that it may take a considerable amount of time before we are able to perform biological analysis on any submitted specimens. Our ability to sequence your genome, for example, will depend on our success in securing funding and affordable analysis services for the study. These are all things we are actively working toward, but it is difficult to predict how long it will take and there are no guarantees that we will be able to provide DNA sequencing or other biological analysis for every individual who enrolls in the study.

In addition to the minimum eligibility criteria, the PGP will give priority to applicants who also satisfy one or more of the following criteria: older individuals, individuals with exsiting exome (>60% gene coding regions) or whole genome sequence data, individuals with a known genetic disease (rare or common), individuals from an under-represented category, individuals with grown children, individuals with immediate family members who also seek enrollment in the PGP (and have passed the entrance exam), and individuals motivated to represent the PGP in various stakeholder communities.

Updated: 04/01/2011