Police are increasingly using genomic databases in their investigations. Concerningly, they often do so without a warrant requirement. A new paper co-written by Illinois faculty presents possible technological solutions, such as phone applications, that will ensure Fourth Amendment protections of consumer’s genomic data.

A community-based project, conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in collaboration with the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Kenai Peninsula College, has been awarded a $1,017,215 grant by the National Science Foundation. The project will map the use of salmon as a cultural keystone species of Dena’ina peoples.

One of the highest honors the campus can bestow, named appointments to chairs, professorships, scholars, and fellows acknowledge outstanding faculty research, service, and education accomplishments. In the coming weeks, seven Illinois Computer Science faculty—Jeff Erickson, Svetlana Lazebnik, Craig Zilles, Tarek Abdelzaher, Carl Gunter (GSP Theme Leader), Geoffrey Herman, and Klara Nahrstedt—will receive these titles for the 2021 and 2022 academic years. The investiture process is possible thanks to the generosity of Engineering and CS alumni and friends.

The concept of genomic privacy has recently become important due to the rise of sequencing services, which can inform people about their ancestry or genetic predispositions to health disorders. However, it is unclear what concerns people may have about data privacy. A new grant, awarded by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology (IGB), aims to understand these concerns. The $35,000 grant will be used over the course of 18 months, with the option to renew for another 12 months.

Genomic technologies have the power to transform individual healthcare for the better. But with that power comes responsibility—the responsibility to protect the privacy of the individual and to make ethical choices that respect the rights of communities and populations.