TL;DR
Genetic data is one of the most valuable assets for scientific researchers and the pharmaceutical industry.
The paradox lies in the fact that while all health data enjoys the greatest legal framework for security and protection, historically this situation does not typically occur.
The case of Henrietta Lacks in 1951 is something that can still happen more than seven decades later.
Fortunately, blockchain technology and the cryptography that makes it possible, provide a secure and firm response to this challenge.
It is true that the democratization of individual access to genetic information began in 2008 with 23andMe, but like other actors such as Ancestry or Genomes England, the data is not in the individual possession of users. Neither is genetic sequencing done through public or private healthcare services.
Where are my data? What are they doing with them? What guarantee of security and custody do I have? Are they monetizing them without my permission?
GenomesDAO web3 solution offers the right answer to this problem by allowing individuals to access their complete genome and returning sovereignty, control, and management of the genetic data to each of us. It is the tokenization of the genome and our opportunity to contribute to precision and personalized medicine while mining DNA data to earn passive income.
I am personally involved in this DAO as a user. When you sign up by opening your account on their website, you have as a first option the direct purchase of the Nebula Genomics technology sequencing kit.
Alternatively, you can get it through their Geneticats NFTs project: a digital art collection limited to 975 unique and exclusive NFTs featuring cat images and published for purchase on the OpenSea store.
The launch campaign for this NFT collection has struck me as one of the most brilliant I’ve come across in the healthcare sector:
Geneticats theme tune is a banger
Go mint yours at https://t.co/n0wckQJS48
Genome sequencing and Generative art based on your Genome forward thinking enough for you?#NFTs #NFT pic.twitter.com/kAG6NADQSS
— GenomesDAO ? Genomes.eth (@GenomesDAO) March 2, 2022
I bought this NFT “kitty” a year ago for 0.22 Ethers. How beautiful, isn´t it?
A few months later, I received my DNA sequencing kit. The process was very simple: I collected the saliva samples and sent them anonymously with the identification code generated by my Genomes app to the laboratory. My DNA ?was on its way to the blockchain!
In October 2022, I received a notification from Genomes: the data from my two DNA strands were already encrypted.
By having my entire genome sequenced, I have been able to:
• Learn whether I have specific genetic variants that could affect my children’s health.
• Predict how my body will respond to a given pharmacological treatment or to particular foods.
• Explore my ancestry through similarities in my genome to populations around the globe.
Here is my Ethnicity Estimate heat map:
My genetic information is protected in a vault powered by AMD-SEV ES technology, the most advanced encryption system.
This way, only I have total custody over my entire genome. No one will be able to access my DNA vault without my explicit permission – not even GenomesDAO itself.
And it is then, through my vault, that I will also be able to mine – monetize – my tokenized genome by accepting or rejecting requests from pharmaceutical companies or biomedical research companies to access my DNA.
To begin with, GenomesDAO conducted the first genomic study in August 2023 to determine the genetic predisposition to experience severe forms of COVID-19, including long COVID.
I received a request to anonymously access my encrypted genetic information in my vault and participate in the study. I gave consent and was able to find out in real-time if my genotype expressed any of the eight variants being investigated in the study.
As compensation for contributing to this research, I received a passive income of 30,000 $GENE, which is approximately 160 US dollars at the current exchange rate.
This is really mining the genome!!
This infographic from GenomesDAO explains the whole project really well:
It is the convergence of blockchain and biotechnology, delivering value to research companies, healthcare professionals, and individuals, all in the interest of more personalized medicine and better healthcare. All this contributes to preventive health education and self-care for the general population while placing the patient at the center, with their health data in their hands.
New times are here, and unimaginable business models are emerging, driven by technologies that are rapidly transforming sectors that have traditionally shown aversion and resistance to change.
One can either strive to understand what is happening, join the change, and surf the wave, being part of it … or end up being swallowed up by it.
Proud to belong to this project.
This entry is proudly funded by CollectiveBrain Community in Common Ground
By Ángel González
Ideagoras
