TECHNOLOGY
38 blockchain technology ,” he explains .
Clearly , working with genomic and healthcare data in general is becoming more complex due to privacy issues so can blockchain help ? “ People are reluctant to share their data because they ’ re afraid it will be compromised , stolen or sold on the dark web , but it ’ s essential for research . At the same time pharmaceutical companies have to be careful with data given the new GDPR rules . Blockchain tech can address some of these issues in the healthcare environment ,” he says .
STARTING A REVOLUTION After meeting his now co-founders of Shivom , the seed of an idea that revolved around building a global business to revolutionise healthcare , but puts the patient first , was planted . “ Most healthcare systems around the world are broken because they ’ re too expensive , too complicated and involve too many middle men who shouldn ’ t be there . All of this can be addressed with blockchain .
“People are reluctant to share data because they are afraid it will be compromised , but it ’ s essential for research ”
— Dr . Axel Schumacher , CEO , Shivom
We started basically building a global healthcare ecosystem with a strong focus on genomics meaning collecting data from all around the globe so that people can share it and use it to improve their wellness and health . This is the next step in precision medicine : getting treatment tailored specifically to do what we want it to do .”
In order for this ecosystem to function effectively , access to data is the key to finding better treatment for patients . Schumacher argues
AUGUST 2018