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Showing posts with label Genetic Data. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genetic Data. Show all posts

Thursday, June 7, 2018

Protecting confidentiality in genomic studies


MIT Press Release
Originally released May 7, 2018

Genome-wide association studies, which look for links between particular genetic variants and incidence of disease, are the basis of much modern biomedical research.

But databases of genomic information pose privacy risks. From people’s raw genomic data, it may be possible to infer their surnames and perhaps even the shapes of their faces. Many people are reluctant to contribute their genomic data to biomedical research projects, and an organization hosting a large repository of genomic data might conduct a months-long review before deciding whether to grant a researcher’s request for access.

In a paper published in Nature Biotechnology (https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.4108), researchers from MIT and Stanford University present a new system for protecting the privacy of people who contribute their genomic data to large-scale biomedical studies. Where earlier cryptographic methods were so computationally intensive that they became prohibitively time consuming for more than a few thousand genomes, the new system promises efficient privacy protection for studies conducted over as many as a million genomes.

The release is here.

Friday, January 5, 2018

Changing genetic privacy rules may adversely affect research participation

Hayley Peoples
Baylor College of Medicine Blogs
Originally posted May 26, 2017

Do you know your genetic information? Maybe you’ve taken a “23andMe” test because you were curious about your ancestry or health. Maybe it was part of a medical examination. Maybe, like me, you underwent testing and received results as part of a class in college.

Do you ever worry about what could happen if your information landed in the wrong hands?

If you do, you aren’t alone. We’ve previously written about legislation affecting genetic privacy and public resistance to global data sharing, and the dialog about growing genetic privacy concerns only continues.

Wired.com recently ran an interesting piece on the House Health Plan and its approach to pre-existing conditions. While much about how a final, Senate-approved Affordable Care Act repeal and replace plan will address pre-existing conditions is still speculation, it brings up an interesting question – with respect to genetic information, will changing rules about pre-existing conditions have a chilling effect on research participation?

The information is here.

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Canada passes genetic ‘anti-discrimination’ law

Xavier Symons
BioEdge
Originally published 10 March 2017

Canada’s House of Commons has passed a controversial new law that prevents corporations from demanding genetic information from potential employees or customers.

The law, known as ‘Bill S-201’, makes it illegal for companies to deny someone a job if they refuse a genetic test, and also prevents insurance companies from making new customer policies conditional on the supply of genetic information. Insurance companies will no longer be able to solicit genetic tests so as to determine customer premiums.

Critics of the bill said that insurance premiums would skyrocket, in some cases up to 30 or 50 per cent, if companies are prevented from obtaining genetic data. And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau labelled the proposed legislation “unconstitutional” as it impinges on what he believes should be a matter for individual provinces to regulate.

The article is here.