IN contemporary discussion, biotechnology is most closely associated with gene technology.
This includes the use or modification of genetic materials in developing products for virtually any application in the food, agricultural, pharmaceutical and medical industries.
These applications imply some form of genetic engineering, or movement of genes from one organism to another (often in a manner that would not be possible through the species’ own reproductive mechanisms), using modern laboratory techniques.
There has been an unusual degree of interest in the ethical issues associated with biotechnology, especially with regard to genetic engineering.
Although reproductive technologies such as cloning and embryo transfer have been controversial when applied to human beings, there has been little criticism of them when used in food and agricultural settings.
Ironically, the situation seems to be quite the reverse for genetic engineering of crops, animals and for products employed in food production.
While bio-medical applications of genetic engineering have typically been heralded, food and agricultural applications have elicited a significant amount of public controversy and resistance.
However, prior to genetic engineering or therapy, there is this issue of genetic testing and screening. What is the value to parents and to the unborn baby for pre-natal genetic testing? Is it morally acceptable to terminate pregnancies in order to work toward conceiving a child with the traits you want? Who will decide what is genetically acceptable or valuable? Should we make genetically flawless offspring a societal goal? Under what circumstances should genetic carrier testing, like that of Huntington’s disease, be carried out? Will discrimination by employers happen when genetic testing for psychiatric disorders becomes available? These are tough questions, indeed. We are actually beginning to grapple with these ethical issues. But now, many new and even tougher questions are coming to surface, due to rapid advances in biotechnology.
Stem cell research is one of the most hotly debated scientific issues at the moment. Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialised cells.
The major types of stem cells are the totipotent and pluripotent cells. The former have an unlimited capability to grow into a new individual, while the latter can, at best, grow into new tissues and organs only.
To be on safe moral ground, scientists are highlighting the fact that the stem cells used in their research are only of the pluripotent type.
There are several important reasons why experiments on the embryonic stem cells are important to science and medicine.
First, these cells may unravel the complex events that occur during human development. A primary aim of this work is the identification of the factors involved in the cellular regulation that leads to cell specialisation.
It is a fact that genes turn on and off during this process. But how are these “decision-making” processes brought about by the genes? This remains a big mystery in the field of biology.
Some of our most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to abnormal or incorrect cell specialisation and cell division.
A better understanding of normal cell processes will allow us to further elucidate the fundamental errors that cause these debilitating, and often deadly, diseases.
Second, human stem cell research can significantly change the way we develop drugs and test them for safety. For example, new medications may initially be tested using only stem cells.
Stem cells would allow testing in more cell types. This procedure may not replace testing in whole animals and clinical tests in human beings, but it can streamline and, perhaps, shorten the process of drug development.
Only drugs that are safe and appear to have a beneficial effect in stem cell testing would be further tested in laboratory animals and human subjects.
And third, the most ambitious and farreaching potential application of stem cell research is the generation of cells and tissue that may be used for so-called “cell therapies” in the form of tissues and organ transplants.
Although preliminary research on stem cells has shown promising results, technological, as well as technical, challenges remain daunting. However, these challenges are definitely not insurmountable.
In addition, ethical dilemmas associated with the use of stem cells are equally complex. Does embryonic stem cell research mean we are tampering with life? Yet another application of biotechnology is in the manufacturing of biological weapons.
Previously, biological weapons have been referred to as “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”. Today, these weapons are linked to so-called bio-terrorism, depending on who carries out this dastardly act.
The anthrax scare is said to be spreading around the world. Bacillus anthracis, the microbe that give rise to anthrax, is one of the many naturally occurring agents and toxins that can be used as bio-weapons.
Bacillus anthracis has always been one of the microbes of choice as bio-weapons because of several advantages. It can form resistant spores that can remain active for over a hundred years if kept dry and protected from sunlight.
The spores can be prepared in large quantities from liquid cultures, and their robust nature allows them to be delivered in the form of aerosol. After inhalation, the spores trigger disease that can be fatal.
However, there are many drawbacks to the anthrax microbe as a bio-weapon. The disease is not very contagious. It normally does not spread beyond the intended target.
The number of spores that must be inhaled into the lungs to induce anthrax is quite high, that is, up to 10,000 spores. In contrast, a single particle of certain viruses may be enough to trigger an infection.
Furthermore, anthrax vaccines can be relied upon for protection against the disease. Antibiotic treatment has been found to be effective when administered very early after contact, ingestion or exposure to the bacteria.
Hence, anthrax, “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”, is not quite the perfect bio-warfare agent.
With the advent of biotechnology, a new class of bio-weapons is in the making. No doubt that this time around, these will no longer be within the reach of the poor nations.
Genetically-engineered biological weapons have been developed in many nations in the West. These bio-weapons are much deadlier, with no cure, invisible to detection system and undeterred through vaccination.
For example, in December 1997, a Russian research group genetically engineered vaccine-resistant Bacillus anthracis. This alteration also made existing detection systems unable to recognise these bacteria.
Could biotechnology be used to produce a new class of bio-warfare agents with unprecedented power to destroy? How do we prevent this from happening? These are some of the issues in biotechnology that will be discussed at Ikim’s seminar on Ethics in the Biotechnology Century on Oct 23-24. It is open to the public.
Speakers are from Germany, South Africa, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Malaysia. For details, please call 03-62046200 or e-mail [email protected] Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim)
IN contemporary discussion, biotechnology is most closely associated with gene technology.
This includes the use or modification of genetic materials in developing products for virtually any application in the food, agricultural, pharmaceutical and medical industries.
These applications imply some form of genetic engineering, or movement of genes from one organism to another (often in a manner that would not be possible through the species’ own reproductive mechanisms), using modern laboratory techniques.
There has been an unusual degree of interest in the ethical issues associated with biotechnology, especially with regard to genetic engineering.
Although reproductive technologies such as cloning and embryo transfer have been controversial when applied to human beings, there has been little criticism of them when used in food and agricultural settings.
Ironically, the situation seems to be quite the reverse for genetic engineering of crops, animals and for products employed in food production.
While bio-medical applications of genetic engineering have typically been heralded, food and agricultural applications have elicited a significant amount of public controversy and resistance.
However, prior to genetic engineering or therapy, there is this issue of genetic testing and screening. What is the value to parents and to the unborn baby for pre-natal genetic testing? Is it morally acceptable to terminate pregnancies in order to work toward conceiving a child with the traits you want? Who will decide what is genetically acceptable or valuable? Should we make genetically flawless offspring a societal goal? Under what circumstances should genetic carrier testing, like that of Huntington’s disease, be carried out? Will discrimination by employers happen when genetic testing for psychiatric disorders becomes available? These are tough questions, indeed. We are actually beginning to grapple with these ethical issues. But now, many new and even tougher questions are coming to surface, due to rapid advances in biotechnology.
Stem cell research is one of the most hotly debated scientific issues at the moment. Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialised cells.
The major types of stem cells are the totipotent and pluripotent cells. The former have an unlimited capability to grow into a new individual, while the latter can, at best, grow into new tissues and organs only.
To be on safe moral ground, scientists are highlighting the fact that the stem cells used in their research are only of the pluripotent type.
There are several important reasons why experiments on the embryonic stem cells are important to science and medicine.
First, these cells may unravel the complex events that occur during human development. A primary aim of this work is the identification of the factors involved in the cellular regulation that leads to cell specialisation.
It is a fact that genes turn on and off during this process. But how are these “decision-making” processes brought about by the genes? This remains a big mystery in the field of biology.
Some of our most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to abnormal or incorrect cell specialisation and cell division.
A better understanding of normal cell processes will allow us to further elucidate the fundamental errors that cause these debilitating, and often deadly, diseases.
Second, human stem cell research can significantly change the way we develop drugs and test them for safety. For example, new medications may initially be tested using only stem cells.
Stem cells would allow testing in more cell types. This procedure may not replace testing in whole animals and clinical tests in human beings, but it can streamline and, perhaps, shorten the process of drug development.
Only drugs that are safe and appear to have a beneficial effect in stem cell testing would be further tested in laboratory animals and human subjects.
And third, the most ambitious and farreaching potential application of stem cell research is the generation of cells and tissue that may be used for so-called “cell therapies” in the form of tissues and organ transplants.
Although preliminary research on stem cells has shown promising results, technological, as well as technical, challenges remain daunting. However, these challenges are definitely not insurmountable.
In addition, ethical dilemmas associated with the use of stem cells are equally complex. Does embryonic stem cell research mean we are tampering with life? Yet another application of biotechnology is in the manufacturing of biological weapons.
Previously, biological weapons have been referred to as “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”. Today, these weapons are linked to so-called bio-terrorism, depending on who carries out this dastardly act.
The anthrax scare is said to be spreading around the world. Bacillus anthracis, the microbe that give rise to anthrax, is one of the many naturally occurring agents and toxins that can be used as bio-weapons.
Bacillus anthracis has always been one of the microbes of choice as bio-weapons because of several advantages. It can form resistant spores that can remain active for over a hundred years if kept dry and protected from sunlight.
The spores can be prepared in large quantities from liquid cultures, and their robust nature allows them to be delivered in the form of aerosol. After inhalation, the spores trigger disease that can be fatal.
However, there are many drawbacks to the anthrax microbe as a bio-weapon. The disease is not very contagious. It normally does not spread beyond the intended target.
The number of spores that must be inhaled into the lungs to induce anthrax is quite high, that is, up to 10,000 spores. In contrast, a single particle of certain viruses may be enough to trigger an infection.
Furthermore, anthrax vaccines can be relied upon for protection against the disease. Antibiotic treatment has been found to be effective when administered very early after contact, ingestion or exposure to the bacteria.
Hence, anthrax, “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”, is not quite the perfect bio-warfare agent.
With the advent of biotechnology, a new class of bio-weapons is in the making. No doubt that this time around, these will no longer be within the reach of the poor nations.
Genetically-engineered biological weapons have been developed in many nations in the West. These bio-weapons are much deadlier, with no cure, invisible to detection system and undeterred through vaccination.
For example, in December 1997, a Russian research group genetically engineered vaccine-resistant Bacillus anthracis. This alteration also made existing detection systems unable to recognise these bacteria.
Could biotechnology be used to produce a new class of bio-warfare agents with unprecedented power to destroy? How do we prevent this from happening? These are some of the issues in biotechnology that will be discussed at Ikim’s seminar on Ethics in the Biotechnology Century on Oct 23-24. It is open to the public.
Speakers are from Germany, South Africa, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Malaysia. For details, please call 03-62046200 or e-mail [email protected] Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim)
IN contemporary discussion, biotechnology is most closely associated with gene technology.
This includes the use or modification of genetic materials in developing products for virtually any application in the food, agricultural, pharmaceutical and medical industries.
These applications imply some form of genetic engineering, or movement of genes from one organism to another (often in a manner that would not be possible through the species’ own reproductive mechanisms), using modern laboratory techniques.
There has been an unusual degree of interest in the ethical issues associated with biotechnology, especially with regard to genetic engineering.
Although reproductive technologies such as cloning and embryo transfer have been controversial when applied to human beings, there has been little criticism of them when used in food and agricultural settings.
Ironically, the situation seems to be quite the reverse for genetic engineering of crops, animals and for products employed in food production.
While bio-medical applications of genetic engineering have typically been heralded, food and agricultural applications have elicited a significant amount of public controversy and resistance.
However, prior to genetic engineering or therapy, there is this issue of genetic testing and screening. What is the value to parents and to the unborn baby for pre-natal genetic testing? Is it morally acceptable to terminate pregnancies in order to work toward conceiving a child with the traits you want? Who will decide what is genetically acceptable or valuable? Should we make genetically flawless offspring a societal goal? Under what circumstances should genetic carrier testing, like that of Huntington’s disease, be carried out? Will discrimination by employers happen when genetic testing for psychiatric disorders becomes available? These are tough questions, indeed. We are actually beginning to grapple with these ethical issues. But now, many new and even tougher questions are coming to surface, due to rapid advances in biotechnology.
Stem cell research is one of the most hotly debated scientific issues at the moment. Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialised cells.
The major types of stem cells are the totipotent and pluripotent cells. The former have an unlimited capability to grow into a new individual, while the latter can, at best, grow into new tissues and organs only.
To be on safe moral ground, scientists are highlighting the fact that the stem cells used in their research are only of the pluripotent type.
There are several important reasons why experiments on the embryonic stem cells are important to science and medicine.
First, these cells may unravel the complex events that occur during human development. A primary aim of this work is the identification of the factors involved in the cellular regulation that leads to cell specialisation.
It is a fact that genes turn on and off during this process. But how are these “decision-making” processes brought about by the genes? This remains a big mystery in the field of biology.
Some of our most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to abnormal or incorrect cell specialisation and cell division.
A better understanding of normal cell processes will allow us to further elucidate the fundamental errors that cause these debilitating, and often deadly, diseases.
Second, human stem cell research can significantly change the way we develop drugs and test them for safety. For example, new medications may initially be tested using only stem cells.
Stem cells would allow testing in more cell types. This procedure may not replace testing in whole animals and clinical tests in human beings, but it can streamline and, perhaps, shorten the process of drug development.
Only drugs that are safe and appear to have a beneficial effect in stem cell testing would be further tested in laboratory animals and human subjects.
And third, the most ambitious and farreaching potential application of stem cell research is the generation of cells and tissue that may be used for so-called “cell therapies” in the form of tissues and organ transplants.
Although preliminary research on stem cells has shown promising results, technological, as well as technical, challenges remain daunting. However, these challenges are definitely not insurmountable.
In addition, ethical dilemmas associated with the use of stem cells are equally complex. Does embryonic stem cell research mean we are tampering with life? Yet another application of biotechnology is in the manufacturing of biological weapons.
Previously, biological weapons have been referred to as “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”. Today, these weapons are linked to so-called bio-terrorism, depending on who carries out this dastardly act.
The anthrax scare is said to be spreading around the world. Bacillus anthracis, the microbe that give rise to anthrax, is one of the many naturally occurring agents and toxins that can be used as bio-weapons.
Bacillus anthracis has always been one of the microbes of choice as bio-weapons because of several advantages. It can form resistant spores that can remain active for over a hundred years if kept dry and protected from sunlight.
The spores can be prepared in large quantities from liquid cultures, and their robust nature allows them to be delivered in the form of aerosol. After inhalation, the spores trigger disease that can be fatal.
However, there are many drawbacks to the anthrax microbe as a bio-weapon. The disease is not very contagious. It normally does not spread beyond the intended target.
The number of spores that must be inhaled into the lungs to induce anthrax is quite high, that is, up to 10,000 spores. In contrast, a single particle of certain viruses may be enough to trigger an infection.
Furthermore, anthrax vaccines can be relied upon for protection against the disease. Antibiotic treatment has been found to be effective when administered very early after contact, ingestion or exposure to the bacteria.
Hence, anthrax, “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”, is not quite the perfect bio-warfare agent.
With the advent of biotechnology, a new class of bio-weapons is in the making. No doubt that this time around, these will no longer be within the reach of the poor nations.
Genetically-engineered biological weapons have been developed in many nations in the West. These bio-weapons are much deadlier, with no cure, invisible to detection system and undeterred through vaccination.
For example, in December 1997, a Russian research group genetically engineered vaccine-resistant Bacillus anthracis. This alteration also made existing detection systems unable to recognise these bacteria.
Could biotechnology be used to produce a new class of bio-warfare agents with unprecedented power to destroy? How do we prevent this from happening? These are some of the issues in biotechnology that will be discussed at Ikim’s seminar on Ethics in the Biotechnology Century on Oct 23-24. It is open to the public.
Speakers are from Germany, South Africa, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Malaysia. For details, please call 03-62046200 or e-mail [email protected] Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim)
IN contemporary discussion, biotechnology is most closely associated with gene technology.
This includes the use or modification of genetic materials in developing products for virtually any application in the food, agricultural, pharmaceutical and medical industries.
These applications imply some form of genetic engineering, or movement of genes from one organism to another (often in a manner that would not be possible through the species’ own reproductive mechanisms), using modern laboratory techniques.
There has been an unusual degree of interest in the ethical issues associated with biotechnology, especially with regard to genetic engineering.
Although reproductive technologies such as cloning and embryo transfer have been controversial when applied to human beings, there has been little criticism of them when used in food and agricultural settings.
Ironically, the situation seems to be quite the reverse for genetic engineering of crops, animals and for products employed in food production.
While bio-medical applications of genetic engineering have typically been heralded, food and agricultural applications have elicited a significant amount of public controversy and resistance.
However, prior to genetic engineering or therapy, there is this issue of genetic testing and screening. What is the value to parents and to the unborn baby for pre-natal genetic testing? Is it morally acceptable to terminate pregnancies in order to work toward conceiving a child with the traits you want? Who will decide what is genetically acceptable or valuable? Should we make genetically flawless offspring a societal goal? Under what circumstances should genetic carrier testing, like that of Huntington’s disease, be carried out? Will discrimination by employers happen when genetic testing for psychiatric disorders becomes available? These are tough questions, indeed. We are actually beginning to grapple with these ethical issues. But now, many new and even tougher questions are coming to surface, due to rapid advances in biotechnology.
Stem cell research is one of the most hotly debated scientific issues at the moment. Stem cells are cells that have the ability to divide for indefinite periods in culture and to give rise to specialised cells.
The major types of stem cells are the totipotent and pluripotent cells. The former have an unlimited capability to grow into a new individual, while the latter can, at best, grow into new tissues and organs only.
To be on safe moral ground, scientists are highlighting the fact that the stem cells used in their research are only of the pluripotent type.
There are several important reasons why experiments on the embryonic stem cells are important to science and medicine.
First, these cells may unravel the complex events that occur during human development. A primary aim of this work is the identification of the factors involved in the cellular regulation that leads to cell specialisation.
It is a fact that genes turn on and off during this process. But how are these “decision-making” processes brought about by the genes? This remains a big mystery in the field of biology.
Some of our most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are due to abnormal or incorrect cell specialisation and cell division.
A better understanding of normal cell processes will allow us to further elucidate the fundamental errors that cause these debilitating, and often deadly, diseases.
Second, human stem cell research can significantly change the way we develop drugs and test them for safety. For example, new medications may initially be tested using only stem cells.
Stem cells would allow testing in more cell types. This procedure may not replace testing in whole animals and clinical tests in human beings, but it can streamline and, perhaps, shorten the process of drug development.
Only drugs that are safe and appear to have a beneficial effect in stem cell testing would be further tested in laboratory animals and human subjects.
And third, the most ambitious and farreaching potential application of stem cell research is the generation of cells and tissue that may be used for so-called “cell therapies” in the form of tissues and organ transplants.
Although preliminary research on stem cells has shown promising results, technological, as well as technical, challenges remain daunting. However, these challenges are definitely not insurmountable.
In addition, ethical dilemmas associated with the use of stem cells are equally complex. Does embryonic stem cell research mean we are tampering with life? Yet another application of biotechnology is in the manufacturing of biological weapons.
Previously, biological weapons have been referred to as “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”. Today, these weapons are linked to so-called bio-terrorism, depending on who carries out this dastardly act.
The anthrax scare is said to be spreading around the world. Bacillus anthracis, the microbe that give rise to anthrax, is one of the many naturally occurring agents and toxins that can be used as bio-weapons.
Bacillus anthracis has always been one of the microbes of choice as bio-weapons because of several advantages. It can form resistant spores that can remain active for over a hundred years if kept dry and protected from sunlight.
The spores can be prepared in large quantities from liquid cultures, and their robust nature allows them to be delivered in the form of aerosol. After inhalation, the spores trigger disease that can be fatal.
However, there are many drawbacks to the anthrax microbe as a bio-weapon. The disease is not very contagious. It normally does not spread beyond the intended target.
The number of spores that must be inhaled into the lungs to induce anthrax is quite high, that is, up to 10,000 spores. In contrast, a single particle of certain viruses may be enough to trigger an infection.
Furthermore, anthrax vaccines can be relied upon for protection against the disease. Antibiotic treatment has been found to be effective when administered very early after contact, ingestion or exposure to the bacteria.
Hence, anthrax, “the poor man’s nuclear bomb”, is not quite the perfect bio-warfare agent.
With the advent of biotechnology, a new class of bio-weapons is in the making. No doubt that this time around, these will no longer be within the reach of the poor nations.
Genetically-engineered biological weapons have been developed in many nations in the West. These bio-weapons are much deadlier, with no cure, invisible to detection system and undeterred through vaccination.
For example, in December 1997, a Russian research group genetically engineered vaccine-resistant Bacillus anthracis. This alteration also made existing detection systems unable to recognise these bacteria.
Could biotechnology be used to produce a new class of bio-warfare agents with unprecedented power to destroy? How do we prevent this from happening? These are some of the issues in biotechnology that will be discussed at Ikim’s seminar on Ethics in the Biotechnology Century on Oct 23-24. It is open to the public.
Speakers are from Germany, South Africa, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Malaysia. For details, please call 03-62046200 or e-mail [email protected] Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia (Ikim).
