In a report entitled Human Genetics Databases: Challenges and Opportunities, published on March 29, the UK House of Lords Science and Technology committee calls for a new Medical Data Panel to be formed to oversee regulation of personal genetics and health data. Currently, under the Data Protection Act (1998), genetic data can be used only for research specified in the donors' initial consent, and such data is often deleted before additional consent can be obtained for different studies involving the data. The new panel would devise a regulatory framework whereby initial consent would be broadened to allow secondary uses of genetic data while also protecting the rights and interests of participating individuals. Although researchers have welcomed the new recommendations, GlaxoSmithKline's (London) senior vice president of genetic research Allen Roses suggests that genetic databases resulting from this “opt-in” approach to informed consent may be less comprehensive than those that follow the Icelandic “opt-out” model (Nat. Biotechnol. 17, 620, 1999), ultimately dissuading large multi-national companies from conducting genetic research in the UK.