Viviana Daloiso

Outlining ethical issues in nanotechnologies

Nanotechnologies are an expression of the human ability to control and manipulate matter on a very small scale. Their use will enable an even and constant monitoring of human organisms, in a new and perhaps less invasive way. Debates at all levels--national, European and international--have pointed out the common difficulty of giving a complete, clear definition of nanotechnologies. This is primarily due to the variety of their components, to the fact that there is not just one technology but several. The most significant medical applications of nanotechnologies are in the diagnostic and the therapeutic fields, eg biosensors and molecular imaging, providing diagnosis and drug delivery with no invasive methods involved. Like any other emerging field, such technologies imply new possibilities for improving health but, on the other hand, they are still at an experimental stage and therefore should be implemented under rigorous safety testing before going on general release. For this purpose, the ethical, legal and social implications (ELSI) of nanotechnologies have been elaborated by study groups, in order to develop solutions before the results of the tests are diffused into medical practice. The aim of this paper is to define some of the ethical issues concerning biomedical applications and to evaluate whether there is a need for new or additional guidelines and regulations.

Nanomedicina e neurotecnologie:la convergenza delle problematiche etiche

Nell’ambito delle tecnologie emergenti, le nanotecnologie e le neurotecnologie si sono dimostrate tecnologie singolari sia con riguardo alle possibili applicazioni che da esse possono scaturire, sia con riguardo alle problematicita etiche che queste sono in grado di generare. Con riguardo proprio alla dimensione etica il dibattito si pone per entrambe le tecnologie in un duplice senso. Il primo attiene alla necessaria riflessione etica in questi campi di indagine, soprattutto con riguardo alle loro possibili applicazioni sull’essere umano. Il secondo, alla novita etica delle applicazioni nano e neuro-tecnologiche e dunque con riguardo alla questione se dalle nanotecnologie e dalle neurotecnologie nascano nuove questioni bioetiche o invece se esse siano ricollegabili a questioni gia ampiamente dibattute in tema di tecnologia e salute umana. ---------- Within emerging technologies, nanotechnologies and neurotechnologies are peculiar both with regards to the scientific and technological applications and possibilities and with regards to the ethical dimension. With regard to this last one, the debate concerns a double meaning: the first one concern the necessity of the ethical reflection in these contexts especially when there are possible applications on the human being. The second, concern the novelty of the ethical issues generated by these technologies.