Although the public perception of micro-organisms may be one of disease-causing germs, biotechnology is generally regarded as being a very safe industry
Biosafety is therefore important to ensure the safe utilization of technology. Certain biosafety levels have been proposed for the laboratories depending upon the pathogenicity of the microbes being worked upon. These protect the environment and the surroundings from the hazards of such microbes.
Are there risks to biotechnological progress?
However, there are also risks to biotechnological progress.
Even in the early days of recombinant DNA technologies, it was understood that there were inherent risks in understanding biological mechanisms, as that improved understanding could be used to cause harm.
Biotechnology Governance in A Time of New Risks and Opportunities
The benefits of biotechnology are tangible and obvious to the world.
COVID-19 vaccines have saved millions of lives, and CAR-T cell therapies are bringing the concept of personalized medicine to successful cancer treatment.
Beyond the medical applications of biotechnologies, it is commonto have biological enzymes in laundry detergents for stain rem.
Is Biosafety an anticipatory governance challenge?
Biosafety:An Anticipatory Governance Challenge Use of the techniques of modern biotechnology in agriculture and food produc-tion has given rise to impassioned debates over the last two decades about the benefits versus the risks posed by genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and prod-ucts thereof.
Main Gaps in Global Governance
The main gaps in global governance stem from the nature of biotechnology development itself, the lack of organization in response to misinformation and disinformation that undermines the development of biotechnology, and neglect of biosafety due to underfunding.
1) The speed of biotechnology development requires that flexible processes be put into .
Prioritize Institutional Reforms to Address Future Threats
In order to address future threats, the United States needs to maintain a leadership role in international biotechnology innovation and governance.
This role includes broader commitments, such as expanding support for international governance and funding and studying biosafety, as well as more specific actions such as expanding gene-synthesis scree.
Summary of CFR Workshop
The Council on Foreign Relations held a virtual workshop on November 7, 2022, titled “Managing the Risks of Biotechnology Innovation.” The workshop was divided into two parts: the first focused on the risks and benefits of biotechnologies, and the second on potential governance mechanisms, though there was considerable overlap in both sections. 1. .
