Nanotechnology and Innovations in the Medical Field: Applying the Precautionary Principle to Smart Drugs

Synopsis:

The concept of nanotechnology is associated with the manipulation of matter at the scale of atoms and molecules. The potential medical applications of nanotechnology are significant, with human-engineered devices interacting with biological processes in sophisticated ways. An example of such an application would be the creation of a "smart drug," a nano-scale device designed to perform a particular medical task. Examples of such tasks range from destroying cancer cells and cleaning out clogged arteries to constructing needed proteins or mimicking anti-bodies.

Although this technology promises to deliver numerous benefits to society, there are also concerns associated with manipulating living material at this scale. The concerns include:

- Environmental contamination. Smart drugs and other nano-devices used in medical applications could contaminate the environment after being expelled from the body.

- Mutation. Smart drugs or other nano-devices capable of manipulating organic molecules could interact with cellular activity in unexpected ways.

- Runaway condition. A smart drug or nano-device capable of replicating itself could result in a runaway condition.

- Weapons. This technology has the potential to be used as a weapon that would be difficult to control.

Clearly, the technology is in its infancy. The applications referred to above--and the concerns that come with them--are years away. However, successful innovations can diffuse rapidly, and addressing concerns after a technology takes root in a society is difficult. As a result, the federal government is encouraging researchers and engineers to identify and seriously discuss potential concerns as they proceed in developing the science and technology associated with nano-scale devices.

Here, you are being asked to apply an ethical guideline known as the "precautionary principle" to generate a set of policy recommendations for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF provides research funds to scientists and engineers. Your recommendations should be designed to guide program officers at NSF in their decisions involving the development of nano-devices in the medical field. (Are people getting excited about nothing or do serious concerns exist? If the latter, what guidelines should the NSF use in shaping the development of the field through its funding decisions?).

This case example is more open-ended than those that focus on decisions leading to specific design failures, but the concern it addresses is just as real.

Sources:

Ratner, M., D. Ratner, Nanotechnology: A Gentle Introduction to the Next Big Idea (Prentice Hall, 2003)

Crandall, B.C. ed., Nanotechnology: Molecular Speculations on Global Abundance (MIT Press, 1996)

Newton, D.E., Recent Advances in Molecular Nanotechnology (Greenwood Press, 2002)

Roco, M.C., W.S. Bainbridge, Societal Implications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001).

Pence, G.E., Re-creating Medicine: Ethical Issues at the Frontier of Medicine (Rowman and Littlefield, 2000).

"Point of Impact--Chemist Vicki Colvin on the Safety of Nanotechnology," Technology Review 106, no. 3 (2003): 71-74.

Herkert, J.R. ed., Social, Ethical, and Policy Implications of Engineering: Selected Readings Piscataway, NJ: IEEE Press, 2000).

Numerous websites discuss the precautionary principle. However, many define the concept in slightly different ways. Be sure to examine several discussions of the precautionary principle.