Apple “developing ResearchKit apps that collect DNA”

PanARMENIAN.Net - It could eventually be possible to share genetic data via a smartphone as easily as users share their location today - and Apple is said to be making inroads in this field, Digital Spy reports.

The iPhone maker has teamed up with scientists to develop ResearchKit software that will allow medical professionals to collect and study DNA from users, according to MIT Technology Review.

"The data would be maintained by scientists in a computing cloud, but certain findings could appear directly on consumers' iPhones as well," the report states.

"Eventually, it's even possible consumers might swipe to share 'my genes' as easily as they do their location."

Apple has apparently teamed up with researchers from New York's Mount Sinai Hospital and UC San Francisco to test the software, and could reveal the results at the Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

The DNA studies could help researchers understand the role that genetics plays in certain conditions, and help ResearchKit fulfil its potential in the medical world.