Biotechnology and the health of Canadians : Biotechnology and health innovation

In Biotechnology and the Health of Canadians, the Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee (CBAC) describes the potential role of biotechnology in relation to the various factors that influence health, discusses some of the social and ethical considerations involved in the applications of biotechnology, sets out a policy framework, and recommends actions necessary to equip our systems to meet the [...] THE PROMISE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY The recent surge of interest in biotechnology is rooted in the rapid expansion of knowledge about the molecular basis of health and disease, and of our ability to use that knowledge in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease and disability. [...] In prevention, biotechnology plays a role in addressing both genetic and environmental influences on health through advances in screening populations for susceptibility to disease; in reducing exposure to noxious agents in the environment and enhancing the body's ability to block or ameliorate the effect of such agents; in the application of genomics and proteomics to the development of vaccines a [...] THE CHALLENGES OF BHI The challenges in applying biotechnology to human health include the need to manage risks and prevent or ameliorate potential harms; to deal with the social and ethical implications of the use of technologies and the personal information resulting from that use; and to enhance access to an expanded array of beneficial BHIs. [...] There are also challenges related to both the process of policy-making and the implementation of strategies for governing and fostering the development and uses of BHI, including: the limited capacity of our systems and personnel to cope with the rapid pace of new technology development; the multiplicity of jurisdictions and stakeholders involved; the diverse levels of knowledge, interest and enga