DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid)

Nanobiotechnology promises progress in a number of fields such as diagnosis, prevention and therapy of human diseases and environmental monitoring. This will raise new and general questions about the ethical implications and social impact of these future applications. The relevant questions have to be identified and to be discussed with the scientific community and the general public.

This will create an environment, which assures development of nanobiotechnology in agreement with European ethical, legal and social standards. Nano2Life has set up an ELSA Board with 11 experts from 8 European countries to identify and study the different ethical, legal, and social aspects (ELSA) related to nanobiotechnology.

The work of the board is focussed on four major activities:

• Evaluation of general and prospective ethical and social questions raised by nanobiotech Research & Development projects. Several papers have already been published.
• Monitoring of projects initiated by the network. This on-project guidance provides the opportunity to raise project-specific questions concerning ethical issues at a very early phase of each project.
• Informing N2L researchers and students about ELSA issues related to Nanobiotechnology. This will raise the awareness of these subjects in the scientific community.
• Dialogue with the public to identify ethical concerns of the European citizens. This will help the Nano2Life network to develop and readjust its vision in accordance with ethical principles and social standards of the European society.

Publications of the board are the booklet “Nano-Bio-Ethics – Ethical dimensions of Nanobiotechnology” (eds. Johann S. Ach, Ludwig Siep), including a detailed study and a Scope Paper on “Ethical and social issues in nanobiotechnologies” in EMBO reports. Some topics like impact of nanotechnology on implants and theranostics were discussed in more depth at two dedicated workshops. The results of these discussions are currently being published and available from the work package leader.

Members of the ELSA board:

• Autiero, Antonio (Instituto Trentino di Cultura, Verona; University of Muenster)
• Berger, Francois (INSERM, Grenoble)
• Bruce, Donald (Church of Scotland, SRT Project, Edinburgh)
• Gevers, J.K.M. (University of Amsterdam)
• Haimes, Erica (PEALS Research Institute, Bioscience Centre, Newcastle) 
• Rip, Arie (MESA+, University of Twente)
• Sakellaris, Giorgos (National Hellenic Research Foundation, Athens)
• Siep, Ludwig (University of Muenster)