In 2018, blockchain technology was increasingly used to combat deep forgery – including tracking raw food-grade tuna from Fiji to Brooklyn, and even symbolic voting. In view of this, people even suggested that they should consider how to store up to 6 billion bits of genetics on the blockchain. Recently, a startup called Nebula Genomics has begun to provide whole-genome sequencing for free, and the blockchain-based gene market as a true genetic information storage method.
Of course, nothing is really free. But if you are willing to provide some health information and introduce this service to your friends, you can get a special Nebula token. These tokens can be used to pay for low-fidelity sequence detection—equivalent to a low-standard sequencing result with preliminary accuracy checks. If you don't want to answer questions about your eating habits, alcohol abuse, or family history of heart disease, you can get this quick-measured preliminary sequence for $99. But if you answer these questions and there are researchers or pharmaceutical companies interested in them, then they may even have to pay to upgrade your information to the overall gene pool (called 30 times coverage in the genetics business). In exchange, we need to grant access to its data research.
This plan incorporates all the security, anonymity, and transparency (and benefits!) commitments of the blockchain immutable ledger core. Once users have sequenced their genomes, they can charge the replacement currency for anyone who wants to access the genomic content. In the future, these tokens will be available for redemption into additional tests and products to further explain our DNA content.
This new approach also allows users to better control their data compared to typical methods in the past. Anyone or entity authorized to access personal DNA can only use Nebula's own computer to process the analysis of the data. The only thing the buyer can see is the result, not the original data itself. The only person who can download DNA data from the platform is the individual who provides the DNA. Dennis Grishin, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Nebuila, said his goal is to create an environment that ensures users can understand their DNA content in an inexpensive way and share it with scientists while protecting themselves from potential privacy breaches.
There have been serious process problems in the field of DNA testing for a long time. Because the single cost of whole-genome sequencing is about $1,000, the test itself is very expensive, privacy issues are extremely serious, and adoption speed is quite slow. In addition, only about 2% of the sequencing participants were able to obtain information that would help their treatment or avoid potential health risks. If scientists have more genomic information for reference, then DNA will be able to provide more valuable insights. However, the incentive mechanism for individuals has not arrived.
This deep-rooted "chicken or egg first" problem directly led the federal government to spend $4 billion on DNA sequencing and research for one million people across the United States, hoping to guide them to donate blood and saliva at a lower cost. . Today, Nebula hopes to further drive this trend with new freemium.
Nebula was founded in 2016 by George Church, one of the leading original genomics scientists in the field, and has become one of the many companies that are striving to accelerate the trend of personalized medicine . The $30x genome-wide sequencing service under subsidies is provided primarily by the startup-funded Veritas, a company funded by Church. The two young companies hope to help people maximize the value of their double-helical genetic structure. In fact, DNA is indeed very important. Recently, 23andMe, a genetic testing company, has just announced a $300 million pharmaceutical transaction. The market established by Nebula will allow individuals to profit from genomics while retaining control of individuals profiting from their own data.
Using blockchain technology in this way is really attractive, and Nebula is not alone. In the past three years, nearly 150 companies that have designed biomedical blockchain applications have raised more than $660 million in the private and cryptocurrency markets. According to the latest analysis released by researchers at the Biomedical Blockchain Research Center, which was just established at Mount Sinai, about a quarter of these projects are designed to provide decentralized clearing houses for various health data.
Noah Zimmerman, director of the center, asked, “What similar solutions can you find in the traditional direct data market? I don’t think there is such a thing. In the past, we have been asking third-party intermediaries that are worthy of relying on these transactions. And the associated value cannot be accumulated in the hands of individual participants."
He compared the current system—that is, the payment of health information by pharmaceutical companies to middlemen—to the health of colleges and universities. Similarly, student athletes who participate freely need to express their gratitude for the free education they receive; similarly, patients who participate in (intentional or unintentional) research also need to be grateful for the drugs currently available on the market that can treat their disease. Zimmerman said, "Of course, I mean, the existence of such a drug is certainly a pleasure. But there are many companies on the market who are stepping on the shoulders of the people to make a lot of profits. Now, we are expected to provide data for those who Provide a scale that is consistent with the value of its data."
To achieve this promise, start-ups like Nebula certainly need to recruit a large number of customers, which is one of the reasons for their free sequencing protocol. This is similar to Google's launch of Gmail in 2004. Only after it has collected a large amount of e-mail can the business system be truly established. Zimmerman hopes that they can achieve this initial goal.
He explained, “From an entrepreneurial point of view, what I am most worried about is that such markets can only really generate value if they get a lot of money. Any resource pool with less than 100,000 genomes may be meaningless.†23andMe was able to stick to the darkness before dawn because it had considerable financial support. It is unclear how far Nebula's $430 million seed money can drive.
The company declined to comment on whether it would promote the ICO – the first round of token sales, where blockchain start-ups often raise funds in this way, but this practice is often controversial and subject to increasingly stringent regulation. Like many other medical information- related start-ups, Nebula's blockchain takes the form of a private chain and acts as the central authority for authorizing tokens and verifying the identity of researchers, providing access mechanisms. Church hopes to convince people to participate in genome sequencing as a normal habit as to wearing a seat belt or not smoking. “Cars, cigarettes and the genome are all important components of public health risks,†Church said. “Although the probability of a problem is not high, it can have a huge impact if it happens.â€
Nebula is currently introducing another genomic platform called EncrypGen, which just released its first DNA market to support blockchain technology on November 6 this year. The blockchain, called Gene-Chain, allows users to upload a large number of genetic data generated directly from consumer-oriented businesses, including 23andMe and Ancestry, and price potential buyers. The company's CEO, David Koepsell, said his goal is to attract 20% of customers who refuse to participate in the 23andMe test research project. The EncrypGen project will support a genome-wide sequencing program by the end of the year.
In addition, the platform faces other further challenges. According to Koepsell, EncrypGen has completed dozens of transactions on its platform, and most of the parties have set their participation rates for personal genetic data and health-related survey questions below $10. Potential buyers can conduct data searches through these self-reported health or identity characteristics (eg, body mass index, ethnic background, or age). DNA tokens used to purchase any data can be converted to Bitcoin or Ethereum by cryptocurrency.
Unlike Nebula's market, once buyers spend their DNA tokens to buy genetic data, they are free to download them to their local machines. And unlike Nebula, buyers can use their own computers to perform any mathematical operations related to block addition and mining. Koepsell pointed out, "We hope to empower civil science. There is no legal reason to prevent any individual or entity from purchasing unidentified data and conducting research. We hope to achieve a democratic transformation of this process."
The federal policy of protecting human subjects has not yet expanded into the field of identityless genetic data. But because of the combination of DNA data and other database information that may reveal personal identity, these laws are increasingly subject to scrutiny. Zimmerman concluded, “Once you access your genomic data, we will not be able to provide magical and efficient rapid destruction.†Even blockchain solutions cannot prevent this genomic data from flowing out. Therefore, everyone must be cautious about their DNA information security issues.
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