NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – LifeNome and Infoshield have announced a partnership to develop homomorphic encryption standards for genomic and phenotypic data for cloud-based software.
Homomorphic encryption enables calculations and computations to be performed on encrypted data without having to decrypt them first.
Under the partnership, the companies will deploy Infoshield's encryption in LifeNome's consumer-focused genomics software. LifeNome will support Infoshield in providing homomorpic encryption as an industry standard in personal genomics.
Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"The encrypted storage and query of genetic data and phenotypic data becomes a critical prerequisite for all companies involved in the storage and exchange of genetic data," LifeNome CEO Ali Mostasharisaid in a statement. "Our partnership with Infoshield, a pioneer in practical homomorphic encryption, is a critical step for our company as well as for the entire personal genomics industry."
"When application developers need part of the genetic data or phenotypic data to power an application, they can send an encrypted query which only returns those parts of the user's information that are authorized by the user, without exposing the user's complete genetic data", Infoshield Co-Founder Vladimir Shpilrain said in a statement.
Both firms are based in New York City and have begun testing the encryption on LifeNome's platform. Infoshield said it plans to provide its technology to other personal genomics companies over the next year.
Earlier this year, LifeNome announced a partnership to extend its reach into China and Hong Kong.