Increasingly, national governments across the globe are prioritizing investments in neuroscience. Currently, seven active or in-development national-level brain research initiatives exist, spanning ...four continents. Engaging with the underlying values and ethical concerns that drive brain research across cultural and continental divides is critical to future research. Culture influences what kinds of science are supported and where science can be conducted through ethical frameworks and evaluations of risk. Neuroscientists and philosophers alike have found themselves together encountering perennial questions; these questions are engaged by the field of neuroethics, related to understanding of the nature of the self and identity, the existence and meaning of free will, defining the role of reason in human behavior, and more. With this Perspective article, we aim to prioritize and advance to the foreground a list of neuroethics questions for neuroscientists operating in the context of these international brain initiatives.
Neuroscience is a national priority across the globe necessitating engagement with the underlying cultural and ethical values that drive brain research. We offer a list of neuroethics questions for neuroscientists to advance and accelerate an ethically tenable globalized neuroscience.
Technological advances have the potential to dramatically increase our understanding of the human brain, treat and cure injury and disease, and enhance our general well-being. While advances in ...neuroscience hold great promise, they also raise profound ethical, legal, and social questions. In this vein, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) convened an international workshop in September 2016 to explore responsible research and innovation in brain science.
Garden et al. discuss the outcomes of a workshop organized by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to discuss the societal and ethical implications of neuroscience advances and how best to promote responsible research and innovation in brain science.
The effects of solar ultraviolet (UV)-B and UV-A radiation on the potential efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) in leaves of tropical plants were investigated in Panama (9°N). Shade-grown tree ...seedlings or detached sun leaves from the outer crown of mature trees were exposed for short periods (up to 75 min) to direct sunlight filtered through plastic or glass filters that absorbed either UV-B or UV-A+B radiation, or transmitted the complete solar spectrum. Persistent changes in potential PSII efficiency were monitored by means of the dark-adapted ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll a fluorescence. In leaves of shade-grown tree seedlings, exposure to the complete solar spectrum resulted in a strong decrease in potential PSII efficiency, probably involving protein damage. A substantially smaller decline in the dark-adapted ratio of variable to maximum chlorophyll a fluorescence was observed when UV-B irradiation was excluded. The loss in PSII efficiency was further reduced by excluding both UV-B and UV-A light. The photoinactivation of PSII was reversible under shade conditions, but restoration of nearly full activity required at least 10 d. Repeated exposure to direct sunlight induced an increase in the pool size of xanthophyll cycle pigments and in the content of UV-absorbing vacuolar compounds. In sun leaves of mature trees, which contained high levels of UV-absorbing compounds, effects of UV-B on PSII efficiency were observed in several cases and varied with developmental age and acclimation state of the leaves. The results show that natural UV-B and UV-A radiation in the tropics may significantly contribute to photoinhibition of PSII during sun exposure in situ, particularly in shade leaves exposed to full sunlight.
The provision of key health technologies and products such as vaccines and antibiotics is insufficient in purely competitive and volume-based markets, requiring new revenue streams for ...sustainability. Recent developments in health innovation suggest that innovative collaborative mechanisms can be effective in addressing this issue. In the domains of vaccines and antibiotics, these approaches should incorporate shared research investment, long-term access planning, the provision of manufacturing infrastructure, supply chains, and financial returns. Collaborative approaches such as subscription models could be piloted at the regional level, while other models could be developed to delink innovation, manufacturing, and access from sales volume and revenue. Finally, blended finance instruments from the development field could encourage greater collaboration among established and emerging stakeholders in health innovation. These stakeholders should work together to create, test, access, and implement more collaborative approaches to health innovation to share upfront investments, mitigate risks of failure, and accelerate market access.
Suspension cultures of
Taxus baccata var.
fastigiata and
Taxus wallichiana were grown in a 20-L airlift bioreactor running for 28 days in a batch mode, and their growth rate and capacity to ...accumulate taxol® and baccatin III were measured.
T. wallichiana culture showed a greater accumulation of taxol® and baccatin III than
T. baccata culture (factor of 2.0 and 1.3, respectively) when both
Taxussuspension cultures were in the highest productive state (from day 24 to day 28). This difference was mainly due to the higher capacity of
T. wallichiana cells to synthesise the taxanes considered; another contributory factor was an increase in biomass in
T. wallichianaculture relative to
T. baccataculture. The highest yields of taxol® (21.04 mg L
−1) and baccatin III (25.67 mg L
−1) achieved for
T. wallichianaculture exceeded those reported for other
Taxus sp. suspension cultures. Approximately 40 % of the taxol® and 67 % of the baccatin III were released into the extracellular medium.
Paclitaxel is the generic name for taxol®, which is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Genomic and biobank collaborative platforms hold significant promise for the development of new discoveries and therapies. This paper explores the complex technical, legal and business challenges ...arising from genomics and biobanks, and brings together ideas and best practices from major national and international platforms, and from a diverse range of experts. The global sharing of biological samples and genomic data has been critical for accelerating our understanding of the biology and spread of COVID-19, and for the development of vaccines and diagnostics. Although some of the policy challenges in the field are well known, they have been reconfigured by the digitalisation of health innovation combined with the increasing complexity and volume of data, the push for global collaboration, and the growing awareness of ethical, legal, and social implications.
Governments, together with partners in industry and civil society, are developing experimental forms of collaborative platforms to provide better linkages between research and innovation, and to ...promote the development and use of emerging technology. This report analyses 33 case studies from key fields of emerging technology – genomics, advanced materials and engineering biology – and finds that collaborative platforms are most effective when they act as “convergence spaces” for the fusion of diverse disciplines, actors and technology. It also shows how governance mechanisms shape platform operations and act as policy levers for ordering what amounts to a common pool resource: they aim to maximise tangible and intangible value, realise sustainability models, foment collaboration, and promote technological integration. After presenting cross-cutting and comparative findings on key components of governance, the report concludes with policy implications for the design of existing and future collaborative platforms.
Gene editing for advanced therapies Garden, Hermann; Winickoff, David
OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers,
05/2018, Letnik:
2018, Številka:
12
Paper
Odprti dostop
Gene editing aims to modify the genetic sequence at a precise genomic location. Recent breakthroughs in gene editing techniques such as the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats ...(CRISPR) system have ushered in a new era for gene editing and health innovation. The purpose of the Expert Meeting (6-7 July 2017, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Berlin, Germany) was to explore the core scientific, legal, regulatory and societal challenges facing the responsible development and use of gene editing in somatic cells for advanced therapies. Experts noted that the trajectory of gene editing in research and development and the uptake of future therapies in the clinical setting remain unclear due to uncertainties in the scientific, regulatory, and economic landscapes. Many policy issues are also raised in the context of other emerging technologies. Governance must cope with a moving technical frontier and some level of uncertainty around risks and benefits.
Novel neurotechnology offers significant potential for the promotion of health and economic growth. Spearheaded by large national and international flagship initiatives in brain science and fuelled ...by a clear medical need, research both in the public and private sector has made considerable strides towards novel neurotechnology, services and markets. At the same time, neurotechnology raises a range of unique ethical, legal, and policy questions that potential business models will have to address.This document is the result of analytical work on the opportunities and challenges of implementing responsibility frameworks into neurotechnology translation at major brain research initiatives and in the private sector. The report draws on: (1) the discussion at the BNCT workshop “Minding Neurotechnology: delivering responsible innovation for health and well-being”, 2018, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; and (2) commentaries by workshop participants. The Workshop provided a forum for innovators to discuss strategies for delivering responsible innovation in neurotechnology.
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