Blockchain To Be Used By Macrogen To Share Genomic Data

It’s no secret that blockchain has been taking the healthcare industry by storm. Information sharing, connecting customers to verified medical personnel, data storage are few of the areas where blockchain has been a boon for the industry. This association between technology and healthcare appears to be Jack’s beanstalk, it only keeps growing.

South Korean biotech giant, Macrogen, plans to integrate blockchain in its system to facilitate sharing of medical information, specifically genomic data. The company revealed in a recent announcement that they plan to store and share data related to genomics via the use of blockchain.

Why genomic analysis?

Genomic analysis is the process of recognizing, measuring and comparing characteristics of genomes like structural variation, DNA sequence, gene expression etc. It is a very significant process that has numerous advantages. It can enable one to diagnose diseases and in turn assist the doctor in prescribing accurate medication which is customized according to the unique needs of the patient.

Macrogen has made history by becoming the first local biotech company which has successfully sequenced a Korean genome. The research that goes into genomic analysis and the data collected from it can go a long way into making the process of diagnosing and treating patients easier. More and more people have come forward to seek personal DNA tests for themselves.

Just a couple of months back, Macrogen tied up with Bigster, which is an influential data company that is based in South Korea. The plan is for the two to put their resources together and jointly develop this platform. The platform is all set to launch in June next year.

The use of bockchain technology could really benefit the company’s data storage policy since it will assure the utmost safety and security of the data that would be stored. It is also a hack resistant technology which ensures that a person’s private and sensitive information cannot fall into the wrong hands. This is a welcome measure by Macrogen that the industry would look favourably upon.