The University of Maryland has developed “Smart Underwear” for the Human Flatus Atlas study to track digestive signals and microbiome activity in real-time. Although the device advances personalized medicine, it discloses private information that can uniquely identify 80% of people. The current state of microbiome research is also plagued by underrepresentation and algorithmic bias. Since microbiome information is not yet protected under the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), immediate regulatory changes are needed to prevent its misuse.
View More The Gut Microbiome Is the New Genome — Yet the Regulations to Protect It Haven’t Caught Up