Personal Genome Projects Spread to Europe

摘要

The move to make individual genome sequences-and accompanying personal health information-freely accessible online just got a boost in the United Kingdom. This week, Stephan Beck from University College London and his colleagues announced the establishment of a British Personal Genome Project (PGP), which will recruit volunteers to provide DNA and health data with no restrictions on their use. This PGP is an outgrowth of a project begun in 2005 by Harvard University's George Church. Often, genome data are freely available, but health information is not because of privacy concerns, making it difficult for researchers to link gene variants to specific conditions.