There is a rise in the understanding of blockchain technology and the many ways it can be applied. This time, an Indian company is partnering with the government of Andhra Pradesh (AP) to design a blockchain database for collecting and storing data of its 50 million citizens.

Mr. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, India’s eighth-largest state announced that it has signed a partnership with Shivom, a Germany-based private firm that deals in genomics and precision medicine to develop this revolutionary technology.

Chief Minister Mr. Chandrababu Naidu while speaking on the partnership reported that this blockchain based technology would improve predictive medicine in India. The governor also explained that adopting this new technology is in continuation of the country’s drive to utilize new-age technology on a large scale in India. Other application of blockchain technology includes digitalizing the land registry system and also to tackle identity theft.

A new development center located in Fintech Valley, Visakhapatnam would be established by Shivom. The facility will work closely with India’s International Institute of Digital Technology (IIDT) at Tirupati on cybersecurity and analytics.

DNA Storage Using Blockchain Technology: How it Works

This technology works by Genome sequencing which is the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism. This helps scientists study different gene variations and their links to diseases while blockchain is a perpetually growing block of digital ledgers linked together securely.

Participant in the new technology will submit their genome samples like saliva swaps which will be processed at the Shivom facility. The collated data will be stored in an encrypted form in a secret vault accessible to Shivom’s staffs alone. Although anonymous genomic data stored in the cloud will be made accessible for research purposes.

Big data, Blockchain technology, and Cross-border partnerships

A team of biologists and computer scientists agrees that the computing requirement for genomics will be enormous as sequencing costs would be reduced and more genomes are analyzed.

Axel Schumacher, co-founder, and CEO of Shivom, explained that “the more DNA sequences are available, the better we can understand genetic diseases that may only affect certain groups of people and improve the preventative medicines available,”

With the current palpable fear in the government having access to citizen’s genetic data, the Government of Andhra Predesh explains that people have nothing to fear about as the technology is safe, immutable and secure. Although he did noted that testing for citizens will be optional.