American Tech company wants to help researchers study human DNA

American tech giant, Apple, is reportedly going into the genetics business and is collaborating with researchers for two different ResearchKit apps to collect and study genetic data.

In staying on track with previous ResearchKit studies, Apple won’t collect any of the samples or have any access to the results, but its ResearchKit software will steer the process and coordinate subjects across studies.

This move suggests a new direction for Apple’s medical research software, and is an exciting new avenue for medical research. According to Technology Review, Apple is planning on announcing the studies at WWDC this June.

The DNA test seems to comprise of a simple spit test which covers the most note-worthy portions of the subject’s genome, similar to the tests offered by services like 23andMe. Unlike the consumer services available right now, all the ResearchKit tests will be performed by doctors and will be subjected to approval from internal ethics review boards.

A lot of researchers have expressed concern with ResearchKit as a sample-gathering tool because of the obvious bias in relying entirely on subjects with iPhones. Sharing data could also make that bias even firmer as researchers come to rely on the easily accessible amount of subjects available through Apple’s tools.