Sharing sequences as quickly as possible is important for identifying new viruses and tracking changes that could make them more dangerous to humans, as well as for designing vaccines, says Edward Holmes, a virologist at the University of Sydney in Australia.
Among the largest existing repositories is GenBank in the United States, which offers unrestricted access to its genomic data. But public access means that anyone can theoretically use the data to publish scientific papers, without acknowledging the data owners.
An alternative repository, GISAID, requires users to register, agree to acknowledge the data owners and make their best efforts to collaborate with the owners. The database was designed to ensure the rights of data submitters.
Researchers have raised concerns around transparency in GISAID's governance, how it mediates disputes over credit and how it sanctions those it believes to have violated its conditions for use.
Collection
[
|
...
]