Abstract
States parties to the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) recognise that scientific and technological developments in the life sciences determine the options available to wage biological warfare and also have a profound impact on the effectiveness of efforts to prohibit BW and the robustness of the regime created for this purpose. Looking ahead to the 7th BWC Review Conference in December 2011 this paper will discuss advances in science and technology in key areas of the life sciences that have particular implications for biosecurity and the biological weapons prohibition regime. It focuses on the areas of functional genomics, synthetic biology, systems biology, and targeted delivery systems, which have advanced significantly in recent years. In addition, it analyses so-called mid spectrum agents which are often overlooked and in relation to which control or prevention efforts are far from satisfactory.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 131-145 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Sécurité Globale |
| Issue number | 17 |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2011 |