In the Netherlands, six Dutch universities are working together using big data gathered from the DNA from thousands of different people to help figure out how people get sick with a range of diseases and how to treat them with a more individualized plan.
Typically, people with prostrate cancer for example all receive the same treatment. However, this new large amount of data can help find what genetic changes lead to various illnesses and can help offer customized solutions for the best way to treat it for each individual based on their specific genetic data.
The research using such an extensive amount of genetic data from so many volunteers was made possible because biobanks in the Netherlands decided six years ago to share data with each other in a huge collaborative effort for medical research.