Human Genome Project

1990 marked the beginning of a Herculean task - to sequence all three billion letters of a human genome and provide pivotal information about the ‘human blueprint’. But perhaps an even greater transformation has been how the project has impacted the way this data is shared.

In 1996, during a summit in Bermuda, scientists agreed a groundbreaking set of principles known as the Bermuda Principles. These set out that all DNA sequence data should be publicly available within 24 hours to maximise the benefits to society.

Most of the genomic data generated from these studies now lives in large, controlled genomic databases such as the European Genome-phenome Archive.

Today, health researchers from around the world can study data as they develop new products.

Encouraging data sharing in a safe way that allows innovation while protecting the privacy of the participants has been transformative. It allowed the mRNA coronavirus vaccine researchers around the world to work at pace without sharing samples. Studies have shown the commitment to open, safe sharing of data has led to billions of dollars of innovations and commercial products and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs.