BIOSAFETY, BIOETHICS AND BIOPOLICY,

Course Code: BBT3503

Course Credit: 4 CU
Brief course description
This course will consist of definitions of biosafety, bioethics and biopolicy, good
laboratory procedure and practices, standard operating procedures for
biotechnology research, legal and institutional framework for biosafety in Uganda,
international agreements and protocols for biosafety.

Specific learning outcomes:

By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. define Biosafety and bioethics in the context of modern biotechnology,
2. demonstrate good laboratory procedures and practices,
3. describe the standard operating procedures for biotechnology research and
assign Biosafety levels,
4. justify the design of confinement facilities at different Biosafety levels,
5. discuss the social and ethical issues related to plant and animal
biotechnology,
6. discuss the relevance of intellectual property rights to modern
biotechnological
innovations,
7. explain the legal and institutional framework for Biosafety in Uganda,
8. discuss the relevance of different international agreements and protocols for
Biosafety.
Detailed course description:
Principles of Biosafety (1 hour); procedures and good laboratory practices (GLPs)
(2 hours); Biotechnology: benefits and concerns/risks (2 hours); Standard
operating procedures for research involving microbes and recombinant DNA (2
hours); Designing of containment facilities: laboratories (1 hour), Biosafety
cabinets (1 hour), and greenhouses (1 hour); Ethical theories; ethical principles (2
hours); Ethical issues surrounding GMOs and recombinant DNA research (2 hours);
national policies for biotechnology products and research (2 hours); Principles of
Risk assessment and management (2 hours); Biosafety procedures: Assigning of
Biosafety levels (1 hour); The concept of Biosecurity (1 hour); International
conventions and treaties of relevance to Biosafety (1 hour); National guidelines for
research with GMOs and microbes (3 hours); Bioethics and social issues: Theories
of bioethics (3 hours), challenges facing modern biotechnology research and
application (2 hours); Management of intellectual property: patenting (1 hour),
copyrights and trademarks (1 hour); intellectual property rights as applied to
biotechnology (2 hours): Intellectual Property key policy issues in the research

setting (2 hours); Protection of traditional knowledge for biotechnology innovation

(3 hours); national and international and legal and regulatory framework for
Intellectual property and relevance to biotechnology (3 hours); Challenges of
Biotechnology policy development and implementation (2 hours); Features of the
Uganda biotechnology and Biosafety policy and its linkage to other national and
global policies (2 hours).
Practicals (30 hours)
Mode of delivery:
The course will consist of lectures, practicals and tutorials

Assessment method:
This will be done through examinations (60%) and coursework (practicals, tests and
assignments) (40%)
REFERENCE LIST
1. DUTFIELD, G. (1997). Can TRIPS Agreement Protect Biological and Cultural
Diversity?
Biopolicy International.
2. HENDRIX, F., KOESTER, V and PRIP, C. (1994). Access to Genetic Resources. In
Biodiplomacy: Genetic Resources and International Relations. Edited by V.
Sanchez,
ans Juma, C, Nairobi, Act Press.
3. KLEMM, C. De. (1990). Wild Plant Conservation and the Law. IUCN Environmental
Policy and Law Paper Number 24. ICN
4. MUGABE, J, BARBER, C.V, HENNE, G, GLOWKA, L and LA VINA, A. (1996).
Managing
Access to Genetic Resources : Towards Strategies for Benefit-Sharing.
5. NELSON, D.L and COX, M.M. (2008). Principles of Biochemistry. Fifth Edition.
W.H. Freeman and Company. New York
6. TANUI, W.K. (2007). Laboratory Safety Handbook. 1st Edition. Kings Script
Publishers.