Blockchain can help revolutionize medical science
Blockchain and crypto in general are too often associated with speculative financial markets and little else.
But what many in the general public still don’t understand is that the technology itself is revolutionary, and the implications for how we share blocks of data while maintaining data integrity and reliability are world-changing.
In fact, there is a big, real problem right now involving data where blockchain could be on the verge of having a significant impact.
Medical science is on the brink of a revolution in new and better treatments as medical AI, machine learning and other data-driven tools come online.
These tools have incredible potential to save lives by helping to find cures for diseases, earlier and more accurate diagnoses, identifying new drugs and treatments, and much more.
The problem for researchers, however, is to gain ethical access to medical data in the first place, and to ensure that the data is of high quality and without bias.
Until now, medical data has been locked and fragmented within healthcare institutions, with no easy or even legal way to share the data.
Even more problematic is the lack of representation in most available medical datasets, which introduces bias in the results of the algorithms and programs that use them.
A solution to these problems would help medical science jump light years ahead and could offer hope and an end to suffering for millions—or even billions—worldwide.
An EU-funded startup has just launched a system that they believe presents a solution to these pressing problems, and they’re using a unique application of blockchain technology to achieve it.
Data Lake has created a global medical data donation program where – like donating blood – people can donate their medical data to science. Their program is based on user consent and privacy and uses blockchain technology to verify donor consent to ensure their data is only used with permission.
By using blockchain, they remove the need for trust and can prove donor status with absolute certainty by showing it on a public distributed ledger.
They will work with national non-profit organizations to collect donor consent, the first of which has already been established in Poland under the name Fundacja Podaruj Dane (or “Donate Your Data Foundation” in English).
These foundations will become the legal controllers of donated data and will help educate the public about the importance of data donation. The pilot program with Podaruj Dane and one of Poland’s leading medical units will start later this year.
To understand the important implications of such a system succeeding, Data Lake has gone one step further and created a unique incentive ecosystem that rewards data donors (“Data Heroes”), hospitals and clinics and other stakeholders for participating in citizen science.
Through the use of their utility token $LAKE, they can incentivize global participation in medical data donation via a rewards system, which will provide globally redeemable discounts on health and wellness products and services to holders of the token.
Co-founder of Data Lake and physician Wojciech Sierocki says:
“To often, blockchain and tokens have been associated with financial speculation and little else. But at Data Lake, we recognize the potential for blockchain to help revolutionize medical research. And this isn’t just choosing Web3 because it’s a popular term right now, whether it’s removing the need for trust from a system or cross-border incentivization. For example, there is nothing like DLT – it really is a technology that stands out. “Nothing against monkey artwork and memecoins, but I think the blockchain is destined for far more and we’re doing our part to make it happen.”
One of the most exciting things about Data Lake is that they are currently proving that the blockchain has a purpose and can solve real-world problems such as access to medical data.
By using blockchain to power a global medical data donation system, they decentralize contributions to medical science while respecting the principles of individual privacy and data ownership.
Decentralization, individual rights and even data ownership all speak to the fundamental values upon which the blockchain itself was founded. While Data Lake is certainly not the only Web3 company trying to solve a real problem, the one they’ve chosen is definitely one of the most ambitious.
If it succeeds in building momentum for global donation of medical data, the implications for medical science are enormous.
About Data Lake
Data Lake is building a global medical data donation system based on blockchain technology and powered by the $LAKE token.
They enable people to consent to the use of their medical data in a safe, simple and private way, while providing large data sets that revolutionize scientific research and medical studies.
About Fundacja Podaruj Dane
Fundacja Podaruj Dane is a Polish non-profit organization, dedicated to facilitating the donation of medical data for scientific research from Polish donors.
They are pioneers of medical data donation in Europe and worldwide, having created the first medical data donation manifesto signed by over twenty international patient, physician and hospital organisations.
Follow them on social media:
Data Lake Website | Data Lake Twitter | Data Lake Telegram | Data Lake Medium | Data Lake LinkedIn
Podaruj Dane website | Give Dane Twitter
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