by Raheen Fatima

Biotechnology is a term that is a combination of two individual terms: Biology and Technology. As the name suggests “It is the assembly of technology in science of biology”. Most simply it may be defined as: “The regulated and controlled use of the biological agents for the manufacture of useful products or for generating beneficial services”. These biological agents may be microorganisms, animals or plants, or their cellular components. However, it is not easy to define biotechnology in a single sentence because of its wide and multidisciplinary applications.

Various definitions have been given by different scientific organizations. These biological agents may be microorganisms, animals or plants, or their cellular components. However, it is not easy to define biotechnology in a single sentence because of its wide and multidisciplinary applications. Various definitions have been given by different scientific organizations.

Despite its many benefits, biotechnology has provoked ethical controversy in six areas of moral concern: safety, liberty, justice, environmental nature, human nature, and religious beliefs. Security is hugely important, and public fears over terrorism are unlikely to diminish. In response, the federal government wants Project Bioshield to spur the development of treatments, including preventive medications and vaccines, that would be available in sufficient quantities to protect the largest possible number of people. But Project Bioshield also raises ethical problems, experts say. For starters, the investment will be large and probably will grow over time. At a time when deficits are growing, generous funding for bioterrorism research suggests that funding for other public health priorities — such as diseases that are becoming more prevalent — may suffer.

On the positive side, bioterrorism research may yield the same sort of consumer-product payoff NASA research did — in this case, Ludlam noted, possibly indirectly helping to find medicines to treat infections with HIV and viruses that cause hepatitis, Lyme disease, polio, West Nile, and the common cold. The effort also could lead to medicines for bacteria, such as those causing tuberculosis, pneumonia, malaria, sepsis.

The biotechnologist needs to think of all features and the uses of their inventions and that is especially when biotech is slowly will come into mainstream healthcare or at least that’s what the scientists and researchers are working towards, it is not just a step in the invention process but is a huge part of the process. What are ways that these inventions developed and produced with the often positive intention of making a worldwide impact can be misused for Bioterrorism , injustice, and could be unsafe and rather than being the superhero the Team behind would be the villain and could cause disasters?