New Scientist: People Across World Share Cancer Data

The Universal Cancer Databank allows people with cancer to donate their medical data to a global online database with the aim of finding treatments. “Unlike previous attempts to collect and share patient data, the UCD is a 100% philanthropic, 100% anonymised, and 100% global,” the database's site explains. “Its goal is to overcome rare and difficult cancers that have proven too difficult for any single institution or country to solve, by offering patients the universal right to donate their data to research.” Users can explore genomic matches for treatments and be connected to clinical trials. Australian philanthropist Andrew Forrest is leading the effort. Organizers expect the project to be fully functional before 2019 and major universities, pharmaceutical firms and cancer centers are collaborating with the effort. – YaleGlobal