Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
Emerging biotechnologies: full report - Nuffield Council on Bioethics
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E m e r g i n g b i o t e c h n o l o g i e s<br />
example, to assign research to a funding stream), rather than being intrinsic to the technologies<br />
themselves. 51 In resp<strong>on</strong>ses to our public c<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong> 52 and in the broader literature <strong>on</strong><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g>, the term ‘biotechnology’ is used to refer to:<br />
■ broad ‘fields’ of knowledge (synthetic biology is a ‘biotechnology’ in this sense);<br />
■ programmes of research defined by specific objectives (genetic modificati<strong>on</strong> (GM) of food<br />
crops is a ‘biotechnology’ in this sense);<br />
■ techniques or procedures, often associated with a distinct kind of apparatus or machinery<br />
(DNA sequencing is a ‘biotechnology’ in this sense);<br />
C H A P T E R 2<br />
■ specific applicati<strong>on</strong>s of techniques or procedures (in vitro fertilisati<strong>on</strong> (IVF) is a<br />
‘biotechnology’ in this sense); and<br />
■ products themselves (a nanoscale biosensor device is a ‘biotechnology’ in this sense).<br />
2.3 We have characterised <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g> as c<strong>on</strong>juncti<strong>on</strong>s of knowledge, practices, products and<br />
applicati<strong>on</strong>s. We have adopted this characterisati<strong>on</strong> to reflect our interest, in this Report, in how<br />
these elements are brought together. However, what distinguishes <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g> from other<br />
technological forms is that these c<strong>on</strong>juncti<strong>on</strong>s involve some biological element, system or<br />
process. We recognise that the term ‘biological’ can also be problematic and, indeed, that many<br />
of the most vivid c<strong>on</strong>troversies arise at the margins of its applicati<strong>on</strong> (for example, at the<br />
interface between chemistry and biology). For pragmatic reas<strong>on</strong>s, we use the term inclusively: it<br />
is not our intenti<strong>on</strong> to rule anything out of c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>, but rather to orientate ourselves in the<br />
directi<strong>on</strong> of the biological without claiming to know precisely where it begins and ends. In view of<br />
our intenti<strong>on</strong> to examine cross-cutting issues raised by emerging <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g> generally, our<br />
interests include technologies that involve:<br />
■ the utilisati<strong>on</strong> of an adapted or unadapted biological system, process or comp<strong>on</strong>ent in<br />
industrial producti<strong>on</strong> (for example, the use of animals as bioreactors or bacteria for biofuel<br />
producti<strong>on</strong>), and/or<br />
■ the modificati<strong>on</strong> of a biological system or process through additi<strong>on</strong>, inserti<strong>on</strong> or integrati<strong>on</strong><br />
with a biological or n<strong>on</strong>-biological comp<strong>on</strong>ent (for example, gene therapy, regenerative<br />
medicine, tissue engineering, transgenic crops), and/or<br />
■ the creati<strong>on</strong> of a new biological product or system using biological or n<strong>on</strong>-biological<br />
comp<strong>on</strong>ents (for example, bacteria- or plant-produced plastics, ‘BioSteel’®, in vitro produced<br />
meat).<br />
2.4 The difficulty of defining the class of <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g> as a whole and of drawing clear<br />
distincti<strong>on</strong>s between different <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g> is compounded by the interweaving genealogy of<br />
emerging <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g>. The communicati<strong>on</strong>, c<strong>on</strong>vergence, cross-fertilisati<strong>on</strong> and<br />
differentiati<strong>on</strong> of knowledge is, undoubtedly, <strong>on</strong>e reas<strong>on</strong> for the apparent fecundity of the field.<br />
Nor are <str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g>, however defined, uniformly either emerging or established: in each<br />
field there is a body of relatively accepted knowledge and practice, having reas<strong>on</strong>ably wellestablished<br />
applicati<strong>on</strong>s, and a c<strong>on</strong>stantly moving leading edge (often implying reinterpretati<strong>on</strong><br />
of established knowledge and rec<strong>on</strong>figuring of existing practice). Thus the label ‘biotechnology’<br />
51<br />
52<br />
The distincti<strong>on</strong> between genetic engineering and synthetic biology may not be absolute. For example, the producti<strong>on</strong> of a<br />
precursor for an anti-malarial drug (artemisinic acid), often cited as an instance of synthetic biology, may also be regarded as<br />
genetic engineering involving many genes. See: Ro DK, Paradise EM, Ouellet M et al. (2006) Producti<strong>on</strong> of the antimalarial<br />
drug precursor artemisinic acid in engineered yeast Nature 440: 940-3, for details <strong>on</strong> the producti<strong>on</strong> of synthetic artemisinic<br />
acid.<br />
The Working Party’s public c<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong> ran from April to June 2011. A summary of the resp<strong>on</strong>ses, which c<strong>on</strong>tains a list of<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g> that resp<strong>on</strong>dents referred to in their submissi<strong>on</strong>s, can be found <strong>on</strong>line at:<br />
http://www.nuffieldbioethics.org/emerging-<str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g>/emerging-<str<strong>on</strong>g>biotechnologies</str<strong>on</strong>g>-c<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong>.<br />
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