SecureMA

SecureMA is a software tool that uses a novel cryptographic strategy to securely perform meta-analysis for genetic association studies in large consortia. Sharing genomic data is crucial to support scientific investigation such as genome-wide association studies, but the privacy of the individual participants in these studies can be compromised, leading to serious concerns and consequences. SecureMA is useful for supporting joint studies among disparate data sites, where privacy or confidentiality is of concern. The researchers validated their method using three multisite association studies, showing that genetic associations can be analyzed efficiently and accurately across substudy sites, without leaking information on individual participants and site-level association summaries.