Social networking and personal genomics: suggestions for optimizing the interaction

An overview of human genetic privacy

The study of human genomics is becoming a Big Data science, owing to recent biotechnological advances leading to availability of millions of personal genome sequences, which can be combined with biometric measurements from mobile apps and fitness trackers, and of human behavior data monitored from mobile devices and social media. With increasing research opportunities for integrative genomic studies through data sharing, genetic privacy emerges as a legitimate yet challenging concern that needs to be carefully addressed, not only for individuals but also for their families. In this paper, we present potential genetic privacy risks and relevant ethics and regulations for sharing and protecting human genomics data. We also describe the techniques for protecting human genetic privacy from three broad perspectives: controlled access, differential privacy, and cryptographic solutions.

A consumer adoption model for personalized medicine: an exploratory study

Purpose

– The purpose of this research is to identify factors linked to the potential acceptance of personalized medicine (PM) by consumers. Roger’s diffusion of innovation model (1995) and the work of Duguay et al. (2003) on transgenic biopharmaceuticals contributed to the development of the proposed conceptual model.

Design/methodology/approach

– The study design was an exploratory cross-sectional survey that used a Canadian national online panel of 307 respondents.

Findings

– The results suggest that the most important factors leading to consumer adoption of PM are knowledge, relative advantage and compatibility with existing values. The level of homophilus traits was negatively related to the acceptance of PM.

Originality/value

– Marketers will need to provide documented evidence of PM’s benefits over existing therapy based on improved efficacy and reduced side effects. Further, concerns about higher price, product distribution and drug reimbursement policies may limit its acceptance. This is the first study to examine the potential adoption and acceptance of PM by consumers.