Blockchain could ensure the integrity of scientific research trials; Digital Trends, February 23, 2019

Georgina Torbet , Digital Trends; Blockchain could ensure the integrity of scientific research trials

"Scientific misconduct is more than just a problem for academia. The falsifying of results can lead to incorrect information spreading out into the world and can have real-world consequences as well as undermining the credibility of science among the general public. Now a group of researchers have proposed a way to make research data more trustworthy and less susceptible to manipulation — by using blockchain.

Researchers at the University of California, San Fransico (UCSF) created a proof of concept that shows how the integrity of clinical trial data can be protected and proven using blockchain. Blockchain allows users to track the changes made to any portion of the data entered into it, making an audit trail for regulators which can be checked for any inconsistencies. This would make it obvious if, for example, a researcher changes certain values in their data set to come to the conclusion that they wanted."