BIOTECNOLOGÍA: BIOSEGURIDAD Y BIOCUSTODIA EN LA INVESTIGACIÓN BIOTECNOLÓGICA BIOTECNOLOGY: BIOSAFETY AND BIOSECURITY IN BIOTECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Advances in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics have made such spectacular strides in the last few years that they have led to the reconstruction of biological agents and the design and synthesis of artificial chromosomes. Paradoxically, it is precisely these advances that have hindered the implementation of the mechanisms that would enable control over the transfer of natural, genetically modified or synthetically reconstructed biological agents on a national and international scale, by limiting the national ability to comply with the commitments made in the Treaties or International Resolutions that prohibit the development, manufacture and storage of toxin and biological weapons, raising biological weapons to the category of weapons of mass destruction. The codes of conduct seem to be a blunt instrument with little impact on the development of scientific research and highlighting the transparency of a scientific work.