Scientists call for research governance reforms

Islamabad: Science researchers, professionals and policy makers from different Islamic countries have demanded addressing governance challenges in the applications of molecular biology and biotechnology.

OIC Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (COMSTECH) organised this workshop from 28-30 March in which a large number of science and technology professionals from different research institutions of the Islamic countries participated.

During the concluding session of the COMSTECH workshop, the participants agreed that molecular biology and biotechnology research must have institutional basis to determine the socio-economic parameters and real potential of applications for solving the socio-economic problems. They demanded priority setting mechanism for scientific and social policy research.

COMSTECH Advisor Science Dr Anwar Nasim said, “There should be research ethics committees which should develop ethical frameworks to encourage innovation, while protecting research participants, society and the environment from potential harms.

CO-Director General of the Karachi Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (KIBGE) Professor Abid Azhar said,” exponentially growing research in human genomics, molecular biology and biotechnology and its commercial involvement in the present century has created a significant number of policy challenges such as patenting, genetic testing and genetic information and these challenges require legal and governance measures before any crisis evolves”

Former Executive Editor of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal Muhammad Afzal was of the view that the transition of governing via risk to governance by uncertainty is also a challenge to contemporary governance in these areas of research.

The new topics of genomics governance have not been taken up seriously in the already operating or emerging institutional structures of policy making in the developing counties. Besides, there exists a gap between policy challenges and institutional responses and even meagre genomic and biotech research in the resource poor countries may lead to growing social opposition.

Zabta Khan Shinwari, Chairman of the Biotechnology Department of Islamabad-based Quaid-e-Azam University laid stress on introducing DNA Barcoding in the degree level curricula in Pakistan and other OIC countries.

Participant from across the OIC region thanked COMSTECH for providing a forum and opportunity to exchange views and discuss latest issues in biotechnology and molecular biology. COMSTECH is a ministerial committee of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) mandated to coordinate science and technology related research and development in its 57 member states.