Team:Tsinghua-A/Human Practices
A Talk With Dr. Zhao --- Medical Data's Future
We had an online interview with Dr. Zhe Zhao during the pandemic and talked about the future of managing medical data using DNA and blockchain.The interview convinced us that our idea is correct!
Our Interviewee
Zhe Zhao MD.
Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital
Orthopedic Surgeon
Research area：Orthopaedic Trauma, Digital Orthopaedics
Q:Why is there so much medical data need to be store?
A:Medical data is actually involving lots of things, for example a patient's genetic information, medical cases, inspection results, medication etc. These information are really valuable which means they are worth to be stored. With the development of AI technology, the research value of medical data is growing rapidly.
For example, these data can help us get a better view of disease involving both family heredity and environment.
Q:Can DNA storage help with this process?
A:Of course! DNA storage's features can solve the existing problems right away.
The high information density makes sure that even the data are growing explosively, we can still store them. And they take much less space than the traditional hard-disks.
Also, DNA are much more stable compared to semi-conductor devices, which ensures long-time storing for future research.
You can also try combining DNA storage with blockchain in the future!
Q:What is blockchain?
A:Blockchain is in fact a kind of database technology. Every "block" works like a hard-disk.The main feature of blockchain is decentralization,which means every one is in it.Therefore, the data can have better access for everybody,providing more convenience using the data.
Another feature of blockchain is security. The data can be encrypted better than what we have in a traditional storage system, providing better privacy!
Q:Why using blockchain in storing medical data?
A:At present, personal medical data are scattered in various medical institutions, rather than unified management. In many cases, we cannot make effective, diagnosis and treatment based on these data.
If the medical data are not used properly:
For patients,this means the risk of privacy leakage,the loss of value of past medical history information, and even repeated laboratory and image examination in different hospitals.
For doctors,the lack of information makes it harder for them to make accurate judgments.
For governments,during pandemic periods (like what we are facing this year),the patients who have been diagnosed may choose to conceal their condition and cause management difficulties.
For researchers,the vast amount of data that is not available makes them lose an opportunity to contribute to the cause of science.
The feature of blockchain (decentralization & security) can solve much of the problem. If we put DNA storage in, a new era for medical data is coming!
Q:Why is blockchain combined with DNA storage?
A:When blockchain is used in medical information storage, patients become the real masters of data.
In addition to the inherent advantages of DNA for information storage, we believe that it is of greater and more realistic value to use DNA for medical data storage and develop medical blockchain.
If this can be realized……
