Pharmacogenomics de-identification is the removal of personal details from a gene-and-drug report. Genetic data has its own definition in UK GDPR Art. 4(13) and is special category under Art. 9(1), so it carries the highest bar in the Regulation. anonym.plus does this locally and keeps the variant calls and the dosing guidance.
When this applies
A gene-and-drug report names the patient and the ordering clinician and pairs variant calls with dosing advice. Sharing it for research means clearing the IDs — and being honest that a genotype is not made anonymous by that alone.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Open the file in anonym.plus on a local device.
- It finds patient and clinician names plus IDs.
- Dates and contacts get flagged across the entry.
- Confirm the flags; variant calls stay as clinical content.
- Swap the IDs with the re-link map off for anonymity.
- Save the clean copy; the source stays on your machine.
What you need to provide
- The file (PDF, DOCX, or lab export).
- Replace with the map off for full anonymity.
- Optional language setting.
Patient data entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | patient name → [PATIENT] |
| Names | PERSON | ordering doctor → [CLINICIAN] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | reported 11 Apr → [DATE] |
| Identifiers | NHS_NUMBER | NHS no. → [NHS_NUMBER] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | lab@example.com → [EMAIL] |
| Location | LOCATION | Edinburgh lab → [LAB] |
Compliance achieved
- Genetic data has its own definition in UK GDPR Art. 4(13) and is special category under Art. 9(1), so the report starts at the highest bar.
- Research reuse needs Art. 9(2)(j) with DPA 2018 Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 4 and the safeguards in Art. 89(1).
- Analysing bodily material to obtain DNA without qualifying consent is an offence under section 45 of the Human Tissue Act 2004 — the report is downstream, but the consent trail behind it still governs what you may do.
- DPA 2018 s.171 criminalises re-identification, and a full genotype may remain personal data whatever labels you apply.
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Limitations & cautions
Raw genetic results can identify a person even with every name removed, because a genotype is unique. The tool removes the named IDs around the result; it cannot make a full genome anonymous, and you should not claim it does. For shared genetic sets, take expert advice on residual risk under the ICO anonymisation guidance and check the original consent covers the onward use.
Frequently asked questions
Can a genetic result ever be truly anonymous?
Rarely. A full sequence is unique to one person, so removing names does not by itself take it outside UK GDPR. The tool clears the named IDs; for raw genomic results, weigh expert advice on residual risk before release.
Are the variant calls removed?
No. The variant and dosing guidance are the clinical result, so they stay. Only the named IDs around them are taken out.
Does the Human Tissue Act apply to a report?
The Act governs the material and its analysis, not the PDF. But s.45 means the DNA behind the report needed qualifying consent, so check that consent before reusing the result.