Frequently asked questions
CohortLayer audits the human genetic evidence behind a drug target and returns a signed, versioned dossier. Only aggregate evidence is used or returned. The questions below cover what you receive, how the data is handled, how the method differs from public tools, and what it is and isn't. For the underlying science and data, see the science page; for the process, see how it works.
What you receive
What exactly does CohortLayer return?
A versioned evidence dossier for your target: a verdict per published claim (confirmed, weakened, conflicting or untested), the direction of effect, safety signals and the evidence behind each statement. Individual-level data is not part of the return.What does testing against independent sources mean and why does it matter?
Each claim is checked separately in more than one source, such as public genetic resources, the peer-reviewed literature and, by project, a managed-access cohort, and only the aggregate results are compared. It matters because a signal that appears in one dataset may not hold in another; independent replication is the strongest filter against a false signal before capital is committed.How current is the evidence?
It stays current for as long as the target is on your watchlist. Variants get reclassified and new findings are published constantly, so CohortLayer re-runs the audit and tells you what changed and whether the verdict moved. You don't end up with a one-time report that goes stale.
Data, privacy, and confidentiality
Do you download, move, or store the genetic data?
No. Where a project uses a managed-access cohort, the analysis runs inside that cohort's secure environment, and only aggregate results leave. Individual records are never downloaded, moved, or re-identified.Is my target or hypothesis confidential?
Your commercial strategy and the intellectual property in the results stay yours. Projects that use managed-access cohorts can carry registration and publication requirements set by the cohort; these are agreed with you before such a project starts.
How it compares
How is this different from free public tools like Open Targets?
Public platforms aggregate evidence. CohortLayer audits it for your target and mechanism: which published claims still hold, where sources conflict, and what changed. The result is a signed, versioned verdict, not a database view.Why not just run this analysis in-house?
Many teams could, in principle. But auditing every published claim about a target, checking direction of effect and safety, and keeping it current as interpretations change is slow, specialized, ongoing work. CohortLayer does it as an independent reviewer, so you get a signed verdict rather than another internal analysis.Is the methodology public?
The principles and a short sample dossier are public. A method summary and the full sample are available on request. Full documentation is shared under NDA.
What it is and isn't
Is CohortLayer a medical or diagnostic service?
No. It returns aggregate, population-level evidence to organizations. It does not provide individual medical or diagnostic results.Who is CohortLayer for?
Biotech, AI-drug-discovery (techbio), investor and translational research teams who need an independent check of the human genetic evidence behind a target.What do you need from us to start?
The target, the indication and the intended direction of effect. The detailed conversation happens after you request access. The form only asks for name, work email, organization, and optionally a line about what you'd like to validate (no confidential details needed at that stage).