RESUMO
The Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists are a set of ten principles designed to promote responsible science and strengthen biosecurity governance. They should be broadly adopted, including being endorsed by the Biological Weapons Convention at its 9th Review Conference in November 2022.
Assuntos
Armas Biológicas , BiosseguridadeRESUMO
The Biosecurity Law has laid down a regulatory framework on bioethics in China, from raising awareness through education, requiring researchers to conform to ethical principles and conduct ethical reviews on biomedical research, to giving special attention to human genetic resources. The law constructively leaves a wide range of discretion to medical institutions and professionals in ethical decision-making, adaptive to the biotechnology-ethics-regulation dynamics. This regulatory strategy poses crucial institutional challenges in its implementation, particularly on how to safeguard institutional review boards (IRB), a core mechanism in the governance, to effectively protect human subjects but not unnecessarily hinder the progress of biomedical research. Further measures need to clarify important issues on the IRB-based governance, including legal status of the IRB review decision, potential liabilities, and protections of the IRB members.