Last year, after a published paper identified security holes in the way DNA data is made publicly available, health institutes in the US and around the world removed all genetic data from public access - fearing that private genetic information could be negatively used against individuals who donated their sequence data through genetic studies. The limitation of this vast pool of information stymied potential breakthrough genetic research.

Tel Aviv University researcher, Dr. Eran Halperin, has unveiled a new mathematical formula and software solution that will ensure that an individuals identity is kept private in publicly accessible genomic data - hopefully allowing this valuable DNA information to be put back in circulation.

"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."

The mathematical formula that Dr. Halperin's team devised can determine which SNPs - a DNA sequence variation occurring when a single nucleotide in the genome (or other shared sequence) differs from individual to individual in the 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 National Institutes of Health and similar institutes around the world can distribute important research data, but keep individual identities private.

Genome association studies can find links in our genetic code for conditions like autism and predispositions for cancer. Armed with this information, individuals can avoid environmental influences that might bring on disease, and scientists can develop new gene-based diagnosis and treatment tools.

Examining SNP positions in our genetic code, Dr. Halperin and his colleagues demonstrated the statistical improbabilities of identifying individuals even when their complete genetic sequence is known. "We showed that even when SNPs across the entire genome are collected from several thousand people, using our solution the ability to detect the presence of any given individual is extremely limited," he says.

Dr. Halperin hopes his research will reverse the NIH policy, and he will provide access to the software so that researchers can use it to decide which genetic information can be safely loaded into a public database. He also hopes it will quell raging debates about DNA usage and privacy issues.

Source: http://www.aftau.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10317