Leopoldina advocates free access to gene databases for researchers
28.01.2021 14:26
Genetic information can be quickly decoded using high-throughput methods and made available in openly accessible Digital Sequence Information (DSI) databases. This genetic information is used for comparative analyzes and is indispensable for life science research. Examples include biodiversity research and antibiotic research. As part of the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, discussions are currently underway about how economic benefits from data use can be fairly balanced internationally. Access restrictions or fee payments are being discussed. In its ad hoc statement "Maintaining open access to digital sequence information - multilateral benefit sharing and open science" published today, the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina points out that restrictions would significantly affect research and biodiversity protection.
In order for research to be carried out freely worldwide, DSI databases must continue to be openly accessible, said the Leopoldina in its ad hoc statement. Last but not least, the coronavirus pandemic has shown that the exchange of sequence information, in this case from novel pathogens, makes a significant contribution to scientific progress. In addition, DSI databases are a central tool for biodiversity protection, as they can be used to track changes in ecosystems, for example. “The value of the information arises primarily from the possibility of being able to compare the different data with one another. Restricting access contradicts the goals of species protection and the principle of open science,” says Leopoldina member and co-author of the ad hoc statement Prof. Dr. Rudolf Amann from the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen. Restrictions on access to sequence databases would also have far-reaching negative consequences for natural and active ingredient research, such as antibiotic development.
The experts advocate fair compensation for the benefits that result from the use of biological diversity. They emphasize that access to sequence information for research should not be restricted by fees or that research funds should not be used for benefit sharing. The situation is made more difficult by the fact that information on the origin of the data is missing for almost half of the existing sequence information. The scientific community should therefore develop solutions to make this information in the databases traceable in the future. According to the authors of the ad hoc statement, the concrete design of international benefit sharing within the framework of the Nagoya Protocol must be carried out in a way that neither endangers biodiversity protection nor open science.