The news of Regeneron's potential $600 million bid for 23andMe's genetic data hit me like a punch to the gut. It’s bad enough if it’s just the money, but if your DNA, your most sensitive and personal information, is being bought and sold like a commodity, that’s much worse. It's infuriating, right?

Who Owns Your Genetic Code?

The question isn't just rhetorical. It's fundamental. Right now, the answer, as any city leader will tell you, more often than not, is “someone else.” These companies quickly amass massive databases of the genetic data. They say it’s for testing and development, but whatever the intended purpose, the room for abuse—in the intentional, or even unintentional, sense—is staggering. Imagine the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but with your personal biological blueprint on the line. Makes you anxious? It should.

What if you could not only have a say over who uses your genetic data but, since you no longer own it, get compensated for its usage. That's where NFTs come in. Yup, you know those things people attribute to expensive JPEGs. But hear me out.

Silver Scott Health's "Health Trust NFT" is proposing a radical idea: tokenizing your medical and genetic data. With their TrustNFT.io blockchain technology they want to provide you, the patient, with TRUE ownership and control over your health information. Now, picture this – you own an NFT that supplies the blueprint for your genetic code. You choose which companies or individuals get access, for what purpose and, most importantly, you get paid when they use it.

  • You control access
  • You get compensated
  • It is all decentralized

NFTs: More Than Just Digital Art?

Let’s face it, NFTs have gotten kicked while they’re down in the media. Many see them as a speculative bubble. The underlying technology—the ability to create one-of-a-kind, provably scarce digital assets—has much broader implications. Just think of all the artists who have been robbed blind by record labels or gallery owners. As for the artists, NFTs afford them a more intimate connection with their fans. This allows them to stay in control and receive a fairer cut of the money.

Could NFTs do the same for your genetic data? Might they upend the present regime in which companies are allowed to make money off of your data without your knowledge or compensation?

The concept of “Health Trust NFTs” flips this on its head. As a founding principle of Silver Scott Health, CEO Stuart Fine believes in providing patients never-before-seen control over their data and supporting ethical healthcare. This would be a direct response to the Regeneron/23andMe grave dancing, and a good thing because not a single corporation should profit from personal data without informed consent.

  • Unprecedented data control
  • Ethical healthcare
  • No corporation profiting without consent

Royalties for Your DNA?

Think about it: every time a pharmaceutical company uses your genetic data to develop a new drug, you receive a royalty payment. Each time a trusted research institution taps your data for a new study, you receive a percentage. This isn’t just a utopian fantasy, it’s a viable economic model supercharged by blockchain technology and NFTs. This shift would help produce a more equitable, open system of data stewardship.

Of course, there are challenges. While the Health Trust NFT platform is still in beta and answers about security, scalability, and regulatory compliance are still being worked out, its potential is undeniable. In short, we need to close the digital divide. All Americans—regardless of their technical prowess—should be able to access this technology and reap the rewards it brings.

The potential is undeniable. Regeneron’s $600 million bid That’s not just an interesting business transaction — it’s an enormous wake-up call. It's time to ask ourselves: who should profit from our genetic information? Is this just a conversation for the Fortune 500, or do average Americans deserve a seat at the table – and a cut? The answer, in my opinion, is clear. NFTs just might be your ticket to seizing ownership over your own genetic destiny. Providing an avenue for you to personally own your genetic information and be compensated fairly every time it’s used. This is not just a fight for our privacy, this is a fight for economic justice in the age of big data.