Tools to protect patient privacy in era of data sharing

To find new links between genes and disease, researchers often need to share patient information. Large databases of patient health information have been created to help with this. These databases combine data from many researchers and institutions. Information that identifies specific patients is removed. Researchers around the world can then use this information for their research. But some worry that the data may be traced back to the original patient. This is a major risk to patient privacy. Using BioVU, researchers are studying how to protect patient privacy in such large databases. They hope to find ways to protect patient information while giving researchers the information they need for their research.