Day: 31 May 2016

Guest post

Genealogy and genomics take their vows

Guest post by Brianne Kirkpatrick, MS, LGC, genetic counselor. Genomics research and genealogy have been dating for a few years now, and it seems that 2015 was the year they finally took their vows. With the growth of interest in tracing familial lineages — genealogy being the second-most favorite hobby reported by Americans — the technologies created for searching historical records of families are available instantly, with a mouse click or a screen swipe. Engagement in family history collection and availability of commercial DNA testing for ancestry are galvanizing the general public alongside the growth of genomics databases in research and industry. Growing interest in uncovering ethnic roots and genetic family has opened the doors for novel research projects, leading to a new cohort of willing and able participants. Some readers might already be familiar with the DNA.Land project, a non-profit partnership between New York Genome Center and Columbia University. DNA.Land is accepting raw genotype data files from participants who were able to obtain these files by purchasing commercial ancestry testing. Unaffiliated with the testing companies themselves, DNA.Land provides a re-analysis of the computerized genotype data and provides additional tools, such as a participant-matching database and ethnicity estimate. This research project provides an opportunity […]

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Your DNA – your say! What do people think about sharing their genomic data?

It is really important to find out what genomic data donors all over the world think about sharing their data. Do they actually want it to be shared, and if yes, with whom? TORONTO, CANADA (May 24, 2016) — The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) and the Wellcome Genome Campus have launched a new project to explore global public attitudes and beliefs around the sharing of genetic information. This has become increasingly urgent as we enter a new era of genomic medicine in which unique ethical and moral questions arise, at both the personal and political levels. It also raises questions about the commercial use of people’s genetic information. Every day, DNA and medical data are collected at clinics and research labs around the globe. To be truly informative, all of the data points — and there are millions per person — must be integrated into larger repositories in order to facilitate comparison across millions of individuals. Doing so requires individuals to give permission for their DNA and medical data to be donated for the purposes of research. Such sharing will often mean data leave the institutions where they were collected, and travel across the Internet to researchers […]

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