The idea of an X-Factor as the winning gene is as true for people as it is for businesses, says Poulfelt, noting individuals like Mozart, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates -- who all managed to tap into a unique skill or quality to stand out from the crowd.

CNN: Have you got the career X-Factor?

Some equipment makers hope for a faster path in which doctors practicing a new medical specialty emerge to evaluate and interpret gene scans, as radiologists do with X-rays.

FORBES: Health

George Church of Harvard Medical School is an adviser to most of the gene-sequencer makers and serves on the board of the Archon X Prize.

FORBES: Magazine Article