GenoBank.io is partnering with Arion Genetica to encrypt lab results and store them on a public blockchain
Privacy-focused DNA testing organisation GenoBank.io announced yesterday that they had joined forces with test provider Arion Genetica and a network of Mexico City based laboratories to make COVID-19 testing easier and more secure for travellers.
GenoBank.io’s patent pending DNA Saliva Kit is the first anonymous DNA test kit to leverage blockchain technology. Customers can access their personal genomic information and make it available for analysis while keeping control of their data.
Many countries currently require a negative COVID-19 test result from travellers before they can be granted entry, but it can be difficult to determine whether results are authentic with no universal testing system in place. To combat this issue, GenoBank.io will now provide Arion Genetica with the technology to prevent fraud by travellers entering the US by cryptographically verifying their COVID-19 tests.
GenoBank.io’s Founder and CEO, Daniel Uribe, explained, “Our goal is to help travellers get back to their lives faster by giving traceability to COVID lab results. GenoBank.io empowers laboratories by providing a verifiable chain of custody over the lab results of its customers. This provides certainty that lab results are not forged or tampered by using a unique cryptographic signature paired to each Lab Rep ID. Results are made immutable upon being recorded into the blockchain and have a time stamp that makes them valid for only 3 days. This is all achieved via a QR code that protects the privacy of users.”
Lab results can be proved to be legitimate as they are encrypted and stored on a public blockchain which offers a verifiable chain of custody. Travellers can obtain certified lab results from laboratories around the world which are registered with GenoBank.io and show them to airline staff and border officers. The US Department of Homeland Security will use these blockchain verified lab results to minimise risk for American travellers and make the testing and border entry processes more efficient.
Chief Scientific Officer at Arion Genetica, Laura U. Figueroa, added, “We have 3 big challenges to comply with CDC order. The first is to avoid the tampering of lab results. The second is to protect the privacy of our customers and the third is to ensure that the certificates are verifiable by travel authorities from countries around the world. GenoBank.io is helping us by recording laboratory results onto the blockchain.”