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Volume 8 Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
ISSN: 2155-952X Adv.Biotech 2018
November 15-17, 2018
Page 36
conferenceseries.com
November 15-17, 2018 | Berlin, Germany
4th International Conference on
Advances in Biotechnology and Bioscience
Betty Lee, J Biotechnol Biomater 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2155-952X-C6-102
The role of export controls in regulating biotechnology
Biotechnology has the ability to improve health with pharmaceuticals, improve agricultural crops, improve the environment with
new biofuels by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improve crop insect resistance. Biotechnology is dual use technology
because it can be used for legitimate manufacturing of pharmaceuticals and used for production of bioweapons. Civilian uses
would include manufacturing of medicines and industrial chemicals. The same equipment and technology could also be used to
manufacture chemical or biological weapons. Therefore, biotechnology poses a challenge because of its dual nature. To prevent
misuse of biotechnology, many countries use export control or strategic trade to promote non-proliferation and as a deterrent to
illicit use by terrorists. This is a means of controlling technology, manufacturing or processing equipment, chemicals and biological
agents that may be used to manufacture chemical weapons or bioweapons. Export control is one of many tools to promote non-
proliferation among countries and to prevent misuse of controlled technology, equipment, chemicals or biological agents. Many
countries are members of multilateral regimes such as the Wassenaar Arrangement, Missile Technology Control Regime, Nuclear
Suppliers Group and the Australia Group. In the case of biotechnology, the Australia Group maintains a list of controlled technology,
software and commodities related to biotechnology and chemical processing. The US government regulates the transfer of controlled
commodities and technology, identical to the Australia Group List. This talk will explain the particulars of the control list and how
each country deters the illicit transfer of important equipment and technology to make weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Biography
Betty Lee has completed her PhD at Dartmouth Medical School, USA; MS in Clinical Chemistry at the University of Windsor, Canada and MS in Biochemistry at LSU
Medical Center, USA. She has completed her Postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health, USA. She currently works as a Licensing Officer with the US
government. She educates industries and academia about the export administration regulations (EAR) and participates in outreach. In addition, she has participated in the
policy review of the executive order entitled, “Optimizing the security of biological select agents and toxins in the United States”, signed by American President, Obama
on July 2nd, 2010.
Betty Lee
Bureau of Industry and Security, USA