FLICKR, MJ/TR
Your DNA sequence may not be as secure as you think.
DNA databases contain hordes of information about people’s genetic makeup, including mutations that may put them at higher risks of certain diseases and, more generally, a genetic barcode that is unique to each individual. For this reason, access to such data is restricted to protect identity and health information. RNA data, on the other hand, reside in publicly available databases, which house results of thousands of genomic studies from the last several years.
Now, Eric E. Schadt from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and his colleagues have figured out a way to infer DNA sequence from RNA data, which reflects gene-expression levels in a variety of tissues. The technique, published this week (April 8) ...