BIOSAFETY AND BIOETHICS

COURSE OBJECTIVES: 2+0

To acquaint students with principles of biosafety and ethical perspectives pertaining to biotechnology

COURSE CONTENTS:
1- Introduction to Biosafety - definition, concept, uses and abuses of genetic information,
2- Biohazards; good laboratory practices; risks related to genetically modified organisms
(GMO); international rules and regulations for biosafety and GMOs
3- Introduction to bioethics; ethical issues related to GMOs; euthanasia, reproductive and cloning
technologies, transplants and eugenics; patenting, commercialization and benefit sharing; role of
national bioethics committees; biosafety guidelines from a national perspective.

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
 Altman A and PM Hasegawa. (2012). Plant Biotechnology and Agriculture: Prospects for the
21st Century. 1st Edition. Academic Press.
 Krishna VS. (2007). Bioethics and Biosafety in Biotechnology. New Age International
Publishers.
 WHO (2006). Laboratory Biosafety Manual. 3rd Edition. AITBS Publishers and Distributors,
India. (Available online free of cost).
 National Biosafety Guidelines. (2005). Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Available
online)
 Jose MA. (2003). Genes Technology and Policy. Available online at;
http://www.apdip.net/publications/iespprimers/eprimer-genes.pdf
 Furr AK. (2000). CRC Handbook of Laboratory Safety. 5th Edition. CRC Press.