Ethical and social issues in nanobiotechnologies

Nanobiotechnologies represent a rapidly growing field of interest. Several European conferences during the past year have highlighted the wideranging potential of applying techniques at the molecular and atomic levels to understand and transform biosystems, and of using biological principles and materials to create new devices at the nanoscale. This convergence of disciplines holds great promise in medicine for improved diagnostics, less invasive monitoring devices and more targeted therapies, and also has potential for agricultural and environmental applications. However, relatively little has been written about the ethical and social implications of this emerging research area. This article seeks to examine some of these questions, and is based on a report produced by the ethical, legal and social advisory (ELSA) board of the Nano2Life European Network of Excellence in Nanobiotechnology (Bruce, 2006). Nano2Life is funded by the European Commission (EC) under the Sixth Framework Programme. It brings together European research groups from 12 countries to collaborate in specific multidisciplinary projects, which combine the life sciences with microtechnologies and nanotechnologies, materials science, physics and chemistry. The aim is to develop new research tools and applications for medical diagnosis and therapy, and for monitoring food safety and environmental health. Seeking to learn from the major controversy in Europe over genetically modified (GM) foods, Nano2Life established—as an integral part of the network—an advisory board to evaluate possible ethical, legal and social implications. Its role is to advise on particular research projects, to educate participating scientists, and to produce a broad overview of the ethical and social issues (Bruce, 2006), which are summarized in this article. The reflections presented here are insights from board members and some participating scientists, and draw on an initial literature survey ( Jömann, 2006). A main aim is to make researchers in both academia and industry aware of the broad ethical and social questions that might arise as nanobiotechnologies progress further. Indeed, it should be regarded as a work in progress. Nanobiotechnologies are mostly in their early stages of discovery and exploration; specific applications remain too limited to build a full picture of the field. As a result, this article looks especially at underlying themes and inevitably asks many more questions than it answers. As scientific work progresses, and directions and applications emerge, the Nano2Life ELSA board invites natural and social scientists, as well as ethicists, to engage with us as it continues to explore these issues.