1State Institution "Kundiiev Institute of Occupational Health of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine", Kyiv, Ukraine
2Universite de Technologie de Compiegne, Compiegne, France
Introduction. Humanity's efforts to improve the quality of life and to extend life duration are the driving force behind the development of science and technology, including modern biotechnology. Thus, the physical component of a person’s quality of life is based on the idea of biological safety of life and is closely related to healthy food, clean drinking water and an adequate environment. Being fully aware of the biological value of a person as an individual and ensuring that the research activities meet world humanization needs, the wideworld scientific community should strive to improve ethical and legal standards in the field of biomedical and genetic research. Strong promotion of such regulations will demonstrate that human society does understand the new challenges of modern time, is aware of the importance of all aspects of bioethics, core essence and content of which is aimed at preserving the intacked integrity of a human being.
The aim of the research – to analyse the current state of implementation of biomedical, nanotechnology and genetic technologies aimed at prolonging human life and health, and to evaluate approaches from the moral, ethical and legal points of view to determine the limits of what is acceptable in the application of these implementations.
Materials and methods of the research. Analysis of specialised, scientific and methodological literature.
Results. New scientific approaches, such as bioinspiration and biomimicry technologies, have entered the modern world. Biomimetic nanomaterials are already being actively used, and geneticists are using molecular imprinting, transgenic plants, abzymes, and omics technologies. The development of highly biocompatible, elastic and durable biomimetic nanomaterials has led to improvements in regenerative medicine in orthopaedics and traumatology. In recent years, geneticists have been widely using molecular imprinting, a method of molecular construction that allows the assembly of the desired structure of molecules, including proteins, RNA and DNA. The post-genomic era is marked by the emergence of omics systems aimed at identifying, studying and modifying cellular components, their pathways and interactions in various conditions, including pathological ones. The fantastic possibilities of genetic engineering have given rise to the idea that it can be used to solve a number of social problems of mankind.
Conclusions. A large number of advances in biotechnology and the diversity of nanomaterials create new approaches to the detection and treatment of diseases and, above all, raise ethical issues in relation to the preservation of humans as a species. Ethical problems arise due to the fact that biotechnology, in principle, has no limits for solving research problems and therefore any manipulation of these technologies is possible.
Key words: bioethics, convergence of sciences, genetic engineering, imprinting, biotechnology, transcriptomics, metabolomics, omics technologies
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