Impact of the General Data Protection Regulation on Clinical Proteomics Research

The recently implemented General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has promising attributes for ensuring the protection of personal data collected and processed for clinical proteomic investigations. However, there exist ever increasing alarming concerns regarding its implications upon the future of clinical proteomics research both within and beyond the European Union. The main issues of concern regard GDPR legislative requirements for informed consent for study subjects' data collection and processing, data anonymization, and data storage and/or sharing, particularly in research areas which readily utilize databanks and biobanks, such as clinical proteomics investigations. The potential impacts of the aforementioned issues upon on-going and future clinical proteomics investigations are detailed, whilst recommendations for potentially resolving these emerging issues are proposed. Consensus between government, legislative, and research stakeholders, as well as impact assessments of final measures to be applied for medical research, is necessary so as to ensure the favorable perpetuation of clinical proteomics investigations and subsequent impact upon optimal patient health.