For those of our readers who have been following us closely, you will probably remember one of our news articles on a blockchain technology based solution for maintaining the integrity of clinical trials. Greg Irving and John Holden were originally credited for devising the solution.
Ironically, the duo striving to maintain the integrity of experiments seem to have conveniently borrowed the idea from a graduate student who had first published it on his blog. The concern about plagiarism was raised by a McGill University student, Benjamin Carlisle as reported on a well-known scientific research blog Retraction Watch . The blog post in question is titled “ Proof of pre-specified endpoints in medical research with the bitcoin blockchain ” and it was originally published by Benjamin on August 25, 2014. A student of Bioethics, discusses the ethical issue of “fishing expeditions” carried out by researchers to find statistically significant relationships in the trial data and interpret it in their favor to achieve an end result even if it doesn’t match the originally intended goal of the experiment.
READ MORE: Fudging Clinical Trial Data Made Impossible by Blockchain Technology
Blockchain is known for its immutability. Data once entered on the blockchain is permanently recorded and it is virtually impossible for anyone to modify the original data. Recording the endpoints of an experiment along with experimental protocols beforehand will prevent researchers from interpreting the trial data differently. Using bitcoin blockchain to store a cryptographic hash value of the experimental protocols and endpoints can prove to be an inexpensive yet effective solution, writes Benjamin.
The procedure mentioned by Benjamin bears a close resemblance to the research paper published in F1000 Research journal much later in February this year by Greg Irving and John Holden . The paper authored by Greg Irving and John Holden titled […]
