ASCO has joined more than 70 leading health care, research, and disease advocacy organizations from around the world in taking the first steps to form an international alliance dedicated to enabling secure sharing of genomic and clinical data. The cost of genome sequencing has fallen one-million fold, and more and more people are choosing to make their genetic and clinical data available for research, clinical, and personal use. However, interpreting these data requires an evidence base for biomedicine that is larger than any one party alone can develop, and that adheres to the highest standards of ethics and privacy.
“Collaboration has been integral to our success in the field of oncology,” said Clifford A. Hudis, MD, President of ASCO. “ASCO’s participation in this global alliance underscores our belief that standards for responsible and ethical data sharing are crucial for the fastest possible development of better treatments for our patients.”
Technological advances have led to large-scale collection of data on genome sequencing and clinical outcomes, with great promise for medicine. The organizations participating in the Global Alliance recognize that the public interest will be best served by working together to develop and promulgate technical and regulatory standards that make it possible to share and interpret this wealth of information in an effective and responsible manner. ■
