offer company shares that would be doled out to individuals who share personal health information, such as genomic data, wearable device data, clinical health records, and completed surveys. The idea is that when healthcare organizations pay to access LunaDNA’s database, some of the profits would be paid to users in the form of dividends. The company’s request to offer shares is still pending with the SEC, according to an e-mailed statement from LunaDNA co-founder and president Dawn Barry.
Like Obbad, Barry cites a lack of clear regulatory guidance as the reason her company scrapped the cryptocurrency plans. According to its SEC filing, the company still plans to use blockchain technology to track when users join and leave LunaDNA’s network; when they share or withdraw data; and when a third party queries the company’s database.
“We remain bullish on blockchain as a tool to achieve transparency, privacy, and value exchange,” Barry wrote in the e-mailed statement. “However, we do not define ourselves as a blockchain company.”
