November 2012: The Biotechnology Research and Policy Forum of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the Evolving Promise of the Life Sciences took place on 12 November 2012, in Paris France. The Forum considered, among other issues, risks related to emerging pathogens in the environment, and opportunities and challenges in marine biotechnology.

Co-hosted by OECD and the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the conference aimed to assess whether past achievements of the life sciences, such as cloning and the mapping of the human genome, have produced the economic and societal impacts originally anticipated. It also aimed to examine how expectations surrounding developing technologies shape the products and services these deliver.

The panel sessions addressed: the role of expectations in biotechnology developments; convergence between health and biomedicine; industrial biotechnology and synthetic biology; legal, scientific and intellectual property issues in marine biotechnology; and emerging pathogens in the environment.

Participants in the session on marine biotechnology discussed opportunities with regard to new medicines, novel compounds, food production and biofuels as well as the challenges to developing these opportunities in a sustainable and equitable manner.

The session on emerging pathogens focused on pathogen risks associated with increasing global travel and trade, including the challenge to translate pathogen-related information into effective measures and policy for disease prevention without limiting prosperity through trade and travel.

Forum participants concluded that biotechnology evolves with new scientific knowledge, requiring novel laws and regulations as well as the integration of social and cultural dimensions. [OECD Press Release] [ESRC Meeting Website] [Conference Blog with Summaries of Sessions]