Storing and analyzing a genome on a blockchain

Gürsoy, Gamze; Brannon, Charlotte M.; Wagner, Sarah; Gerstein, Mark

doi:10.1101/2020.03.03.975334

Cited by 7 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Currently, one of the methods of sharing the same state for each system, as well as making contracts and agreements, is blockchain technology. However, in the blockchain, even if a number of physical computers are connected, the calculations are concentrated on a single node, and the scalability of block capacity becomes a problem [ 22 , 23 ].…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-Level Blockchain System for Digital Crime Evidence Management

Kim

Ihm

Son

2021

Sensors

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Digital evidence, such as evidence from CCTV and event data recorders, is highly valuable in criminal investigations, and is used as definitive evidence in trials. However, there are risks when digital evidence obtained during the investigation of a case is managed through a physical hard disk drive until it is submitted to the court. Previous studies have focused on the integrated management of digital evidence in a centralized system, but if a centralized system server is attacked, major operations and investigation information may be leaked. Therefore, there is a need to reliably manage digital evidence and investigation information using blockchain technology in a distributed system environment. However, when large amounts of data—such as evidence videos—are stored in a blockchain, the data that must be processed only within one block before being created increase, causing performance degradation. Therefore, we propose a two-level blockchain system that separates digital evidence into hot and cold blockchains. In the criminal investigation process, information that frequently changes is stored in the hot blockchain, and unchanging data such as videos are stored in the cold blockchain. To evaluate the system, we measured the storage and inquiry processing performance of digital crime evidence videos according to the different capacities in the two-level blockchain system.

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Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-Level Blockchain System for Digital Crime Evidence Management

Kim

Ihm

Son

2021

Sensors

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“…The pharmacogenomics data used in this study is rather small in size compared to other common types of genomic data types. In [56], the authors explored storing larger data files, specifically Sequence Alignment Map (SAM) files, which can be in the order of 10s of Gigabytes in size. This was achieved with a novel data structure that was built with the addition of data compression techniques and a private blockchain network.…”

Section: Secure Storagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…On the other hand, whole-genome data which are stored in files such as BAM or VCF are large in size and difficult to store on-chain. There are attempts to store this data on-chain, such as genecoin [47], and SAMchain [56]. Genecoin [47] sends DNA kits to customers, and after sequencing the DNA sample by a third-party sequencing facility, the extracted full-genome data is encrypted and stored in the bitcoin blockchain.…”

Section: Storage Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Speed and scalability are severely affected by the need for each node to replicate these large data files. On the other hand, SAMchain [56] uses a private blockchain (Mutichain) to store and share sequence alignment maps on-chain using nested database indexing and compression techniques. Indeed, one of the the main motivations of this paper is to prove that efficient storage and analysis are possible with a private blockchain.…”

Section: Storage Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another approach to privacy is the use of private blockchains. Gursoy, et al [56] uses a private blockchain that requires permission to access the data within the blockchain. With controlled access, there are limited number of security issues.…”

Section: Security and Privacymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Blockchain for Genomics: A Systematic Literature Review

Alghazwi,

Turkmen,

van der Velde

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Human genomic data carry unique information about an individual and offer unprecedented opportunities for healthcare. The clinical interpretations derived from large genomic datasets can greatly improve healthcare and pave the way for personalized medicine.Sharing genomic datasets, however, pose major challenges, as genomic data is different from traditional medical data, indirectly revealing information about descendants and relatives of the data owner and carrying valid information even after the owner passes away. Therefore, stringent data ownership and control measures are required when dealing with genomic data. In order to provide secure and accountable infrastructure, blockchain technologies offer a promising alternative to traditional distributed systems. Indeed, the research on blockchain-based infrastructures tailored to genomics is on the rise. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive literature review that summarizes the current state-of-the-art methods in the applications of blockchain in genomics. In this paper, we systematically look at the existing work both commercial and academic, and discuss the major opportunities and challenges. Our study is driven by five research questions that we aim to answer in our review. We also present our projections of future research directions which we hope the researchers interested in the area can benefit from.

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Balancing the safeguarding of privacy and data sharing: perceptions of genomic professionals on patient genomic data ownership in Australia

et al. 2023

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There are inherent complexities and tensions in achieving a responsible balance between safeguarding patients’ privacy and sharing genomic data for advancing health and medical science. A growing body of literature suggests establishing patient genomic data ownership, enabled by blockchain technology, as one approach for managing these priorities. We conducted an online survey, applying a mixed methods approach to collect quantitative (using scale questions) and qualitative data (using open-ended questions). We explored the views of 117 genomic professionals (clinical geneticists, genetic counsellors, bioinformaticians, and researchers) towards patient data ownership in Australia. Data analysis revealed most professionals agreed that patients have rights to data ownership. However, there is a need for a clearer understanding of the nature and implications of data ownership in this context as genomic data often is subject to collective ownership (e.g., with family members and laboratories). This research finds that while the majority of genomic professionals acknowledge the desire for patient data ownership, bioinformaticians and researchers expressed more favourable views than clinical geneticists and genetic counsellors, suggesting that their views on this issue may be shaped by how closely they interact with patients as part of their professional duties. This research also confirms that stronger health system infrastructure is a prerequisite for enabling patient data ownership, which needs to be underpinned by appropriate digital infrastructure (e.g., central vs. decentralised data storage), patient identity ownership (e.g., limited vs. self-sovereign identity), and policy at both federal and state levels.

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Storing and analyzing a genome on a blockchain

Cited by 7 publications

References 15 publications

Two-Level Blockchain System for Digital Crime Evidence Management

Two-Level Blockchain System for Digital Crime Evidence Management

Blockchain for Genomics: A Systematic Literature Review

Balancing the safeguarding of privacy and data sharing: perceptions of genomic professionals on patient genomic data ownership in Australia

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