Estonia establishes gene data bank:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The Estonian government has established a gene bank, in order to store the genetic data of the population. During the next year at least two-thirds of Estonia's 1.4 million citizens will be asked to complete a questionnaire on their medical history and to provide 50ml of blood for analysis. Scientists are keen to gather data on national cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's. Doctors claim that the information will help pharmaceutical companies to develop innovative and individually tailored treatments. They say the system will not be open to abuse by third parties, as a 16 digit code is needed for access.