Privacy Assured for Genetic Research With Open Source DNA

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley and Tel-Aviv University have devised a mathematical formula that can be used to protect genetic privacy while giving researchers access to raw data. The report is published in this month's issue of Nature Genetics.

Dr. Eran Halperin of Tel Aviv University hopes his formula and software solution will reverse current National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy with respect to DNA usage and privacy. Dr. Halperin is prepared to provide access to the software so that researchers can use it to decide which genetic information can be safely loaded into a public database.

"We've developed a mathematical formula and a software solution that ensures that malicious eyes will have a very low chance to identify individuals in any study," says Dr. Halperin, who is also affiliated with the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley.

The mathematical formula that Dr. Halperin's team devised can determine which single-nucleotide polymorphism's (SNPs), or small pieces of DNA, that differ from individual to individual in the human population -- are accessible to the public without revealing information about the participation of any individual in the study. Using computer software that implements the formula, the NIH and similar institutes around the world can distribute important research data, but keep individual identities private.

"We've been able to determine how much of the DNA information one can reveal without compromising a person's identity," says Dr. Halperin. "This means the substantial effort invested in collecting this data will not have been in vain."

References:

1. Open Source DNA, American Friends of Tel Aviv University

2. Genomic privacy and limits of individual detection in a pool, Nature Genetics