Precision Medicine ; Genomic Research ; Personalized Medicine ; Right to Privacy ; Personal Information Protection Act ; Genetic discrimination
Abstract
This article aims to analyze the issues that may arise from the handling of personal information in precision medicine research and to suggest policy directions for precision medicine in Korea. To do this, we reviewed the key features of precision medicine research and characteristics (cohort, collected information, based technology, etc.) compared with existing medical researches and highlighted the value of personal information in precision medicine. In addition, we examined privacy issues such as invasion of privacy, conflicts with current privacy laws, and prohibition of genetic discrimination in foreign medical legislation. The results of this study are as follows. First, the legal basis for using personal information was needed in the precision medical research and the revision of the personal information protection law or the special medical law were required. In addition, we considered that it is necessary to prepare more specific regulations when considering the development of analysis technology of genetic information, which is the core information in precision medical research and the damage caused by leakage of information. Through this article, we intended to contribute to the establishment of the policy direction and the promotion of researches for precision medicine in Korea.