October is not only the month of witches, vampires, zombies and pumpkin spice lattes…
It’s also the start of flu season –- and a great time to join the GoViral study!
GoViral is a study for testing viruses. Participants are sent kits and, when they get sick, can use these kits to collect and send in virus specimens. Both aggregate and individual results are returned: Find out what viruses were in your area – and which virus got you sick.
Entering its third year this season, the project is led by Rumi Chunara at New York University. GoViral is an Open Humans Research Partner, and we wanted to give you some updates on their work. The research has seen important progress so far. Back in 2013, Dr. Chunara wasn’t even sure whether participants could collect specimens at home and ship them to a lab in a timely manner without contamination. One of her first discoveries: They can! Check out the GoViral site for video demonstrations of how to collect saliva and nasal swabs – the whole process takes just a few minutes.
Due to this success, the GoViral team made further discoveries. For example, they discovered that they can detect viruses in samples taken as late as six days after symptoms first present themselves. This means that we all shed viruses – and therefore are contagious – for a longer period than most of us always assumed. So do your coworkers a favor and take that extra sick day from work!
By now, GoViral has processed over 500 specimens. What has been uncovered has largely corresponded with what is known from clinical data: Up to 20% of the population gets influenza each year and preventative measures – such as getting the flu vaccine and frequent hand-washing – are beneficial. The study has also shown, for the first time, a definitive concordance between nasal and saliva specimens. For more details, you can read the research report that the GoViral team published earlier this year: “Surveillance of Acute Respiratory Infections Using Community-Submitted Symptoms and Specimens for Molecular Diagnostic Testing”
GoViral continues to expand. One of the variables GoViral studies is geography, and in past seasons it has been concentrated on the Northeast United States. Whether it expands to new areas depends on how many people in that area sign up. Interested in having them join your area? Don’t just sign yourself up, let others know about it too!
The study is ongoing – and the more people involved, the richer the data.
Interested in contributing? Click here to join GoViral
Some links to articles we found interesting. Hope you enjoy!
FTC Cracks Down on Marketers of “Melanoma Detection” Apps
Federal Trade Commission – February 23
Pregnant Women Are Finding Out They Have Cancer From A Genetic Test Of Their Babies
Virginia Hughes, BuzzFeed – March 5
What to do with a million (billion) genomes? Share them
Dawn Field, Oxford University Press blog – March 5
Apple Could Lead In Healthcare. Here’s Why It Won’t.
Dan Munro, Forbes – March 9
Genome Study Predicts DNA of the Whole of Iceland
Earlier, more provocative title: “Ethics Rules Keep DeCode Genetics From Revealing Cancer Risks”.
Antonio Regalado, MIT Technology Review – March 25
FDA ‘Taking a Very Light Touch’ on Regulating the Apple Watch
Adam Satariano, Bloomberg – March 30
Research led by participants: a new social contract for a new kind of research
Effy Vayena, et al., Journal of Medical Ethics – March 30
A New Facebook App Wants To Test Your DNA
The “Genes for Good” research study, which will return raw genotyping data to participants.
Virginia Hughes, BuzzFeed – March 31
The Healing Power of Your Own Medical Records
Steve Lohr, New York Times – March 31
Using Patient Data to Democratize Medical Discovery
Steve Lohr, New York Times: Bits blog – April 2
Ancestry.com is quietly transforming itself into a medical research juggernaut
Daniela Hernandez, Fusion – April 3
Mark Cuban Ignites Digital Health Firestorm On Twitter
Dan Munro, Forbes – April 5
A WordPress for genetic data, Curoverse opens in beta to researchers
Nidhi Subbaraman, BetaBoston – April 14
Open Humans Blog 