About us

Formed in 2013, the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) unites an international community dedicated to advancing human health through genomic data. We build technical standards and policy frameworks and tools that will expand responsible, voluntary, and secure use of genomic and other related health data. 

Our not-for-profit alliance includes more than 500 leading organisations in healthcare, patient advocacy, research, ethics, government, life science, and information technology as members. Following our Strategic Roadmap, we build consensus across these diverse groups in an inclusive and pre-competitive process that produces truly global standards.

GA4GH strives to turn the promise of genomic medicine into routine practice. The data in your genome (all your DNA) could radically improve the healthcare you receive. Imagine if it were easy to predict your response to a cancer drug, find someone halfway around the world with the same genetic condition as your child, or avoid common diseases like asthma or migraines with treatments tailored to your genes.

But there’s a problem. Researchers and doctors cannot access the knowledge that will transform healthcare. Genomic data are often hidden and stored in incompatible systems.

The world needs a way to fiercely protect personal data while sharing vital knowledge that could benefit all our health. To achieve this vision, GA4GH aims to build a secure “internet of genomics.” Authorised researchers and clinicians will easily search the globe’s genomic and related data — while the human rights of people who share their data stay fully protected.

The GA4GH community develops free, open-source products that make it simple and safe to request, access, and study data stored anywhere. GA4GH products help organisations become effective data stewards. All our work builds on the Framework for responsible sharing of genomic and health-related data, guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.