Tag: David Koepsell

David Koepsell, whose research focuses on ethics regarding emerging technology. is the founder of Encrypgen, a blockchain-based genomic data ecosystem.

Encrypgen Blazes New Frontier For Genetic Marketplaces

For many researchers, obtaining access to genetic data can be quite challenging. If they’re seeking to tap into a specific population set, they typically have to recruit subjects into a study, which can be long, arduous, and expensive. 

Then there’s the study approval process for tissue samples, including consent from the participants.  Next, the samples will need to be sequenced to obtain the genetic data, another expensive step. It is at this point that the researchers can begin connecting together the data they’re seeking from the subjects they recruited. 

On the consumer side of the equation, millions of people who have been genetically tested now have access to their own data. This data is then sold by testing companies for research studies, often without the person fully realizing it, or even being compensated for it. In the meantime these companies are making hundreds of millions of dollars off of that data. 

Enter Encrypgen, a DNA marketplace that’s on a crusade to upend this prevailing narrative. Their product, Gene-Chain, is a free market ecosystem that allows people who have had genetic testing sell that data directly to researchers, in a simpler, cost-effective, and more profitable way for both parties. 

Encrypgen: The Future of Tokenized DNA Marketplaces

The DNA token, used as cryptocurrency on the Encrypgen DNA marketplace, is the foundation of this transaction system. All transactions are immutably captured and retrievable, and payable on the system ensuring frictionless commerce on the platform. Moreover, there is no need to pay fees to any service to conduct payments. 

The token is widely available and fungible to other currencies as well, providing users with a way to get paid or pay for data without worrying about credit card forms or other complex, costly payment systems online. 

Asked to describe how blockchain is integrated into the inner workings of Encrypgen, founder and CEO Dave Koepsell had this to say: 

“Currently it stores metadata about the user and completes transactions. There are significant barriers to doing more for now, such as putting the genomic data itself on a blockchain, due to regulatory and privacy issues, especially in Europe.” 

Koepsell says that this involves keeping an eye on tech such as IPFS (Interplanetary File System) and looking at how, in the future, blockchains can be used for the data itself, which would be great, he says, if it can scale well and not compromise privacy. He believes that the future will demand that genomic blockchains be able to process the data, thus the reason for this being the target of their design efforts in the future. 

Forward Acceleration Into The Future

Partnerships with DNA and health service related product and service providers are a key strategic element of Encrypgen’s progression moving forward. 

“Our partners who provide testing and other services all agree with our philosophy of putting the user in control and letting them profit. Forward-thinking companies like these are asking to work with us because they want to see the de-monopolization of data and a future in which individuals are in full control and profit from their data. Over time, the range of companies in the genomic space choosing to work with us and aligned with our point of view will doubtless continue to grow, especially as users continue to demand more control and ownership of their data in general.” 

Another recent advancement supporting Encrypgen’s rapid trajectory is their website redesign. Notes Koepsell: 

“We greatly simplified the experience on our site and more people are signing up and becoming users as a result. Our traffic has increased significantly and usability appears to have improved, based upon use-metrics. In the meantime, we are still exploring how to make the platform more friendly, but even there we are seeing a lot of people interact with it positively.”  

Koepsell, in particular,  is very excited by the new custom survey feature that allows researchers to seek more info from those from whom they have bought data, and eventually to further pay them for that. This, he says, will make the ongoing interaction between users and researcher more rewarding while further enabling better data collection and scientific discovery.

In terms of the roadmap for EncrypGen over the next 12-18 months, Koepsell had this to offer

“This coming year we will release a new B2B product as part of our Microsoft Startup partnership, and this will involve some of our other partners as well. This means we will be listed on the Microsoft Store, which will give us greater reach and visibility. Moreover, we are part of a research consortium that will investigate the use of genomic data in personalized medicine.” 

He says that this a huge partnership for Encrypgen and having the Memorandum of Understanding in hand now for that research consortium means that their efforts will gain tens of thousands of new users essentially for free, on top of those we are gaining through our marketing. 

He concludes: “Since we will be profitable at between 35k and 50k users, this is great news for us and we are looking forward to the start of that study.” 

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Encrypgen: Igniting a New Future of Genetic Information Sharing

It’s estimated that over 12 million people worldwide have sought to learn more about the inner sanctum of their genetic code.  Like their ancestral history, health risks, or even their propensity for certain diseases.

As a result, the storehouse of genomic data has been exponentially building over the past several years. On the heels of this development, however, are two concerns: First, some experts in the industry have expressed that there is not enough research and drug discovery being done with the data collected. Secondly, there has been growing attention and concern about the lack of consumer control in terms of how their data is being used.

The continued proliferation of information is vital to the advancement of scientific progress. Applied efficaciously, it has the potential to provide cures and boost life expectancy.

Yet, people want more control of their genetic data along with a share of the proceeds when this information is being used.

Today a new movement is quickly gathering momentum, one which incentivizes consumers for sharing their genomic data while supporting the very advancements that scientific researchers are seeking to deliver. It’s here where the intersection between consumer genomics and the nascent world of blockchain technology has ushered in an emerging field called “blockchain genomics.”

Genetic Information Sharing is in the DNA of Consumer Incentives

At the nexus of this movement is Encrypgen,  a rapidly growing digital ecosystem that’s fostering a collision point between blockchain technology and human genomics. Encrypgen’s vision:

To incentivize consumers to share their genomic data and empower researchers to make new breakthroughs, all while keeping the data secure and the identities of consumers anonymous.

Genetic Information Sharing

Encrypgen and the Future of Genetic Information Sharing

Encrypgen allows users to download their raw data from their genetic testing company, which can be done pretty simply. Once that is complete, they add it to their account at http://my.encrypgen.com , set a price, and see if anyone buys the data. Consumers can then monetize genetic information sharing with researchers.

With this DNA information now online they can provide their doctors with access to it. They can also sell their genetic profile to researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and others who request it.

Most people are setting their price for a 23andMe test at about 10 USD, and many people have already sold their data. By de-identifying, Encrypgen remains compliant for most studies in the US as it is not HIPAA regulated, and scientists can easily use the genomically important data for their studies.

Says David Koepsell, CEO and co-founder of EncrypGen:

“Consumers have a choice as to whether they want to make this data available to scientists. By opting into the search platform, they are able to answer questions about their background and health. Prospective buyers then can purchase the data that shows up in the search. What’s great about Encrypgen is that this information is decoupled from the person’s individual data so that they can remain anonymous.”

Fueling The Vision

Asked about Encrypgen’s long-term vision around the sharing of DNA test results and bioscience advancements, Koepsell had this to share:

“We are big believers in open data. Open data projects have been successful in many fields but had not yet proven successful in genomics. One problem was, we believe, a lack of incentives. Another was legitimate concerns about privacy. Given this, we are creating a free market solution that facilitates the direct sharing of data with fair remuneration.”  

Koepsell believes that this model might also be applied to other fields, as it has in some ways to the BOINC projects, a large open science platform where people are paid in tokens for the use of their computing power tied to solving big data problems in a distributed network.

“It could well be an approach that other biosciences could adopt too to resolve problems. Thankfully, we have created the backbone for that sort of system.”

Encrypgen allows people full ownership of their data in the sense that they receive 90% of the profits from the sale of that data. According to Koepsell, no one else has that model.

“We have over 1000 users now and upwards of 700 data sets. More people join every day, we are clearly leading the way in volume and user adoption.”  

Koepsell notes that Encrypgen doesn’t need to sell kits because of the company’s ability to pay people for their data all around the world (whereas some of our competitors are limited to the US).  

“We feel we are well-positioned to bring more data in from more diverse sources and really achieve the goals of open science while fairly paying people.”

The key to these payment transactions is Encrypgen’s proprietary $DNA token.  

“Our token is a part of our blockchain, built on Mutichain, and the core of our transaction system. All transactions are immutably captured and retrievable, and payable on the system. This makes the commerce on our platform frictionless. We don’t need to pay fees to any service to conduct payments.”  

He notes that the token is widely available and fungible to other currencies as well thus giving users a way to either get paid or pay for data without worrying about credit card forms or other complex, costly payment systems online.

“Honestly, it was a total freebie for us because it takes nothing to create a token on top of a blockchain platform. We think this is going to be the future for transactions and settlements for any number of data transaction ecosystems over time.”

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Blockchain in Genomics: Scripting the Genetic Story of Encrypgen

According to a report by Zion Market Research, the global genomics market is expected to be valued at around USD 41.2 billion by 2025. This report cites growth in the number of genomics research projects, declining sequencing costs, expanded genomics applications, and increased activity in drug discovery and molecular biology as among the main factors fueling the global genomics space.

With the rise of collaborative partnerships between research institutions and companies along with increased attention directed toward personalized medicine, new advancement opportunities abound. Amid these promising developments, however, are growing concerns surrounding private genomics companies whose sole intent is to sell data for research and commercial purposes. This process has the effect of exploiting consumer data for profits.  

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Where Blockchain in Genomics Come Together

Today, a new movement impacting consumers and their genetic data is garnering worldwide attention.  At the epicenter of this activity is Encrypgen, the world’s first genomic data marketplace.

This state-of-the-art blockchain network delivers a world-class, next-generation ecosystem for the sharing, protection, and re-marketing of genomic data.  As a blockchain in genomics applictaion EncrypGen seeks to give people control over their genomic data, allowing them to share information and profit from the transaction.

Powered by the blockchain, consumers can safely and securely upload their raw genomic data file on Encrypgen’s Gene-Chain. The company’s security-centric model is seen as a major advancement during a time when data privacy issues have impacted prominent genetic data repositories such as 23andMe and Ancestry.  

The DNA of  Encrypgen Launch

The first demo of EncrypGen took place in 2017 at the Bio-IT world expo in Boston, with the official launch taking place in 2018. During this time, Encrypgen converted from its original multichain platform to the Ethereum ECR20 token, a move that allowed users to monetize their genomic data.

Token value is derived from the sale of genomic data to licensed institutions. This data is privately and securely stored on the Gene-Chain.  Once uploaded, researchers in need of a diverse set of genomic data can purchase the data directly from consumers with the latter’s consent. Consumers then get paid for supporting research around better treatment and cures through the sharing of these DNA results.

For the Love of Science (and Philosophy)

Asked to share his thoughts on the genesis of Encrypgen, co-founder and CEO David Koepsell had this to share:

“I grew up at the tail end of the space age, fascinated by the Apollo program, Skylab and the Space Shuttle program. And being that I was an early adopter of computers, my interests in that realm inspired my views about the role of distributed computing in science.”  

He says that the U.S. decline as a space-faring nation as well as the gradual de-funding of big science, culminating in the failure to complete the Superconducting Super Collider,  helped push him toward new views on how big science could be done.

“I carried forward my computing interests in law school and while getting my Ph.D. in Philosophy. This led me to begin thinking about networks and the distribution of computation on a grand scale, as well as about the nature of “cyberspace.”

Koepsell’s Ph.D. thesis became the book The Ontology of Cyberspace, which was one of the earliest works on the emerging medium of the Internet. After teaching ethics and technology for some time in Holland, he moved to Mexico with his family where he became interested in combining his varied interests in science and distributed computing.  This led him to pursue cryptocurrency mining as a hobby, paving the way to working with his spouse to create something practical for science and regular people to control their health data.

Says Koepsell: “Dr. Gonzalez is also my wife. She and I have been writing together on issues of genomics and policy for more than a decade. Most recently, before forming Encrypgen, we co-authored some academic pieces regarding genetic data and privacy.”

He says that the two of them harbored growing concerns over the tension between the scientific need for more and more data to do basic and potentially life-saving care, and the increasingly worrisome issue of third parties and the re-identification of genetic data using public data. This latter tendency, he notes, is highlighted by the recent use of publicly available data on the part of law enforcement to find suspects in decades-old cold cases.

“My wife (Dr. Gonzalez) is the scientist, and I am the professional philosopher who has long written on and lectured about ethics and technology. But as a computer nerd who had been playing with cryptocurrency mining for a while, I saw that there was nexus, one that led us to the question of whether we might be able to solve the problems we had been writing about with technology.”

In terms of the philosophical underpinnings of his work, Koepsell says he’s long been interested in questions around the existence and nature of rights.

Says Koepsell: “Much of my work as a professional philosopher has involved dealing with this problem. All three of my philosophical monographs have been attempts to tackle our relation to objects, types, tokens, artifacts, and ideas with a view to understanding how those relations might derive from or create rights of some kind,”  

Koepsell admits that he eventually came to a point in the course of that argument that rights over tokens, or the physical manifestation of ideas, were grounded in brute facts, or the very nature of the relations of people to things. Meanwhile, rights over ideas, he says, were not. This led him to come out against intellectual property, but strongly in favor of property rights.

This, he says, extends to our own bodies.

“Our claims to the use and profit from our own bodies, including its data, are similarly grounded. Ultimately, the data should be free to use for science, and markets are best at creating incentives for the remuneration of the use of data at fair market prices. So this ethical and ontological backgrounds leads necessarily to the sort of model we adopted with the Gene-Chain.”

Charting The Path Ahead

In terms of Encrypgen’s future, Koepsell notes that the direct-to-consumer testing market according to Koepsell is enormous.

“Nearly 20 million people worldwide will have been tested by 2020. The size of the genomics market as a whole is estimated to soon reach 20 billion USD worldwide. Most of the money being made is in testing and the use and application of basic research to new treatments and drugs.”  

He goes on to say that money has been made on the backs of those who have done mostly recreationally, direct-to-consumer testing without fully realizing that their data is often sold to companies by the testers for use in that research, sometimes for millions of dollars of curated data sets.

Asked about Encrypgen unique solution to this knotty issue, Koepsell remarks:

“Our marketplace removes the barriers to paying the individuals whose data is being used, and the bottleneck posed by the fact that the DTC testing companies have been monopolizing the data selling market and thus setting their own prices. As well, there is a significant need for more data from non-white Europeans whose samples to date have dominated this market.”

He concludes: “An ultimate goal of ours is to spread the wealth of data use by rewarding people in the developing world, offsetting the costs of testing and putting much need wealth in their hands, while helping to diversify genomic science.”

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Encrypgen: The Gene-Chain Project

Security Issues Genomic Data

Over the last few years, the scientific world saw an exponential growth in the type and volume of available genomic data. Genomic data refer to information with respect to an organism’s complete set of genes, or what we call genomic DNA. Technology kept up with the capture, processing, storage, and analysis of this critical information but solutions to the security and privacy of genomic databases lag far behind.

Encrypgen’s Gene-Chain revolutionizes the genomic industry

By their very nature, genome sequencing contains the most sensitive data about individuals. DNA contains information on ethnic background, the propensity to develop certain medical conditions, even life expectancy and personality traits — all of which a person may want to keep confidential and out of the hands of cyber criminals.

Gene-Chain stores genomic data from individual donors and researchers, which can then be used for metadata searched . This storage platform makes it easier to browse through the material and securely share scientific data. Universities and other research centers — and even corporations — buy the right to store data on Gene-Chain. Once licensed, these scientific research centers and corporations can request to see stored data other than their own. The Gene-Chain processes these data requests by ensuring the requests comply with privacy and consent laws which, in turn, makes scientific collaboration and ethics procedures easier. Gene-Chain donors can see a complete historical record of all “withdrawals” of the data they upload to the platform. In addition, donors can grant specific scientists and research projects access to their data by giving them special keys that provide secure access for a specific time period, after which they expire.

What is so special about Gene-Chain? 

Based on blockchain technology, Encrypgen’s Gene-Chain provides a trackable and unhackable method that enables transactions involving genomic information over secure networks. People who deposit, use, or mine genomic data receive Gene-Chain coins, a valuable and exchangeable cryptocurrency. In practical terms, this means that donors can make money from those who mine their data.

Encrypgen is in the midst of its first sale of 80 million Gene-Chain coins which it expects to conclude sometime in July 2017. At of this date, the company sold 55% of the Gene-Chain offering. The company will distribute wallets at the end of the current sale. In August, 2017, the DNA tokens will list on crypto-exchanges.

Who is Encrypgen?  encrypgen

Co-founder David Koepsell, JD/PHD, brings his background in law, ethics, and software, to his position as Encrypgen CEO. He leads Encrypgen’s mission to develop systems that will improve the usefulness and privacy of genetic databases and will protect database donors.

The Co-founder of Encrypgen is Vanessa Gonzalez Covarrubis, PHD. She is the genomic science advisor for the team and brings more than a decade of genetic science experience to her role. She also writes extensively on genetic science for various publications. As genomic science advisor, Ms. Covarrubis researches pharmacogenomics which is the science behind the emerging field of personal medical genomics.

Partners and Members

Encrypgen counts Curlew Research as an organizational partner which supports Encrypgen (and other technology partners) with life science and health innovative projects.

Encrypgen is an organizational member of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health. The company also actively seeks to create partnerships with other entities who share its interest in the security, privacy, and collaboration of genomic data for scientific and health purposes.

Blockchain Healthcare Review consults with investors, advises blockchain startups and produces research for key decision makers in the healthcare, clinical, pharmaceutical and biomedical engineering lines of business. 

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