Global genomic data-sharing effort kicks off

The number of sequenced human genomes will soon jump from the thousands to the millions. But a recently established high-profile coalition says that if scientists want to make the most of this deluge, they need to pool their data. Composed of leading researchers, funders, businesses and advocates, the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health plans to establish technical, ethical and legal and clinical guidelines to make it easier to share genomic data. The Global Alliance was formed last year and held its first official meeting this week in London. The group a boost last week, when Google announced that it had joined the effort and created a programming interface, Google Genomics, to analyse genome data. Read more.