Portable Genomic Data Vault with Segmented Encryption
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The centralization of genomic data poses significant risks of data breaches and misuse, compromising patient privacy and potentially leading to criminal activities, as existing systems lack robust security measures for secure access and protection of sensitive genetic information.
Innovation Solution
A portable device equipped with a memory and processor that stores encrypted personal data, allowing secure access and analysis while restricting unauthorized access, using a personal identifier to decrypt specific data portions for query results without exposing the underlying information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If genomic data is centralized in a database for easy access and analysis, then productivity and ease of operation improve, but security and reliability deteriorate due to increased vulnerability to data breaches and misuse
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized database into distributed personal genomic vaults stored across multiple portable devices. Each device contains encrypted genomic data that is segmented and protected by unique decryption keys, eliminating the single point of failure in centralized systems while maintaining data accessibility through distributed architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces encrypted data formats and decryption keys as intermediaries between the stored genomic data and any accessing system. The data remains encrypted during storage and transmission, with decryption occurring only through authorized keys, creating a security buffer that prevents direct access to raw genomic information.
2Reliability
If genomic data is encrypted and stored portably to enhance security, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases due to encryption and decryption requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies encryption to genomic data before storage in the portable device, preparing the data in advance for secure handling. This preliminary encryption action ensures that data is protected from the moment of storage, and decryption keys are pre-established for authorized access, reducing the need for complex real-time security processing.
3Ease of operation
If decryption keys are distributed to multiple users for access, then ease of operation improves, but security deteriorates due to increased risk of key compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns unique decryption keys to specific authorized users or devices, making each key locally valid for its intended purpose. Different portions of genomic data can be encrypted with different keys, allowing fine-grained access control where each user can only decrypt data for which they possess the appropriate key, maintaining security while enabling multiple access points.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, a device includes a memory and a processor. The memory is operatively coupled to the processor and configured to store encrypted personal data. The processor is configured to receive query and a personal identifier from a user. Based on the query, the processor further identifies and retrieves a portion of the associated encrypted personal data from the memory. Using the personal identifier, the processor produces decrypted personal data by decrypting a portion of the retrieved encrypted personal data. The processor is further configured to analyze the decrypted personal data to identify a result of the query. The result is sent to the user without sending the decrypted personal data.