Biomimicry
Fighting microorganisms through the strangest way
Issues
With Ethics
About Ethics
"Throughout history, new technologies have often had major impacts on human health and nutrition, daily habits, migration patterns, competition for resources, etc... In some cases, new products and processes are received with suspicion and, in other cases, new ways of “doing” are accepted right away. New technologies are evaluated by society for positive impact, quality and safety, and if they stand up to scrutiny, are usually widely adopted. In biotechnology, we aim to address questions of environmental impact, human safety and intellectual property (ownership of DNA, cells and living materials) before products are released. Biotech research and product development is subject to strict federal regulatory oversight (USDA, EPA, FDA, etc…)"
Questions About Sharklet
How does technological innovation in this biotech topic area impact the daily lives of people in the US and in other countries?
Sharklet creates more sterile surfaces for us to interact with and it does not apply just to hospitals. Sharklet is in airplanes, boats, and now the micropattern will be used to make phone cases that will hinder bacteria colonies from spreading. The pattern is special because it doesn't kill bacteria, this prevents the evolution of superbugs People in other countries can save money and time with faster planes and boats while experiencing better hospital operation results.
Are current ethical norms, regulatory and legal practices sufficient to address societal concerns in this biotech topic area? Why or why not?
Under regulatory legal practices, Sharklet is quite sufficient in addressing ethical concerns. No animals are harmed or used to make the synthetic material. The material is highly publicized and approved for it's potential.
Which US agencies are involved in regulating this area of biotechnology?
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC): enforces federal safety standards of products sold to the public like Sharklet phone cases. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): develops and enforces federal standards and regulations ensuring working conditions for Sharklet Inc. workers and also approves Sharklet as an effective antibacterial surface in hospitals.
When dealing with biological materials, how do we decide issues of intellectual property and ownership?
"The US Supreme Court has held up the essence of the argument... that genes are a naturally occurring substance that are not patentable,"
"The central question for the justices in the case, Association for Molecular Pathology versus Myriad Genetics, was whether isolated genes are 'products of nature' that may not be patented or "human-made inventions" eligible for patent protection"
Sharklet is a manmade synthetic material only based off a living organism that can be patented.
