Is the DNA labelled with identifiable information (eg a persons name) and can any private information about the donor be accessed from the DNA sample stored in the WA DNA Bank?
No. The information stored on the DNA samples is a unique sample identification (ID) code that does not include a person’s name. This unique 10-12 character code is encrypted in a 2-dimensional barcode. The barcode itself does not contain any linkable code, such as a medical record number, that would allow the donor to be traced via other database systems when scanned, therefore the code is meaningless to anyone other than the medical researcher and the associated staff with authorized access to the information because the ID is unique to each particular study The barcode data is stored on secure, network restricted servers located within a secure physical environment. Access to these servers is protected by multiple firewalls, user authentication, authorisation schemes and digital certificates. Secure data encryption is also enforced for all network data transfer. Regular data backups are performed and RAID technology is used to ensure data availability and high performance even in th
