The US National Institutes of Health restricted access to a number of medical databases for scientists and organizations from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela starting April 4, writes «Kommersant». These databases contained information about Americans with mental disorders, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Down syndrome, as well as those who abuse alcohol or drugs. Among the inaccessible resources is the key oncology database SEER, which contains detailed cancer statistics across all US states.
The basis for restricting access was an executive order by former President Joe Biden, signed in 2024 to protect the medical-genetic data of US citizens from «countries of concern». In addition to Russia, the list compiled by the State Department included China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. According to the order, these countries may use advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, to analyze and potentially manipulate data arrays for purposes contrary to US interests.
The Justice Department's explanatory note stated that some countries might use such access for cyber espionage, interference in internal affairs, enhancing military capabilities, and surveillance of US citizens, including military personnel, intelligence officers, and federal agencies.
The restrictions could seriously harm Russian science and medicine, as this data is needed for conducting scientific research and developing new drugs, said junior researcher at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine of Sechenov University, Sergey Tkachev. At the same time, he acknowledged that these data could be used to study how American society is structured, what illnesses the population suffers from, and what potential vulnerabilities it has.
In 2022, Russian specialists already lost access to HGMD (Human Gene Mutation Database) — a large mutation database widely used for interpreting research results, including oncological studies.