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Who
is ANBio?
The
National Biosafety Association-ANBio was created in 1999 by a
group of scientists concerned with disseminating information about
the advances of modern biotechnology and its control mechanisms,
which are fundamental for technological incorporation and
simultaneous preservation of our biological diversity. Attentive to
the risks arising from laboratory and industrial activities,
transport and release to the environment and other activities
involving the health and agricultural sectors, target issues of
ANBio, biosafety is coming up in Brazil as a multidisciplinary
scientific field. Professionals from the most different areas, among
others biology, biomedicine, agronomy, food science, pharmacy,
chemistry, medicine, nursing, nutrition, architecture and law are
brought together in this young discipline.
In its two and
a half years of existence, ANBio organized about 15 courses on
specific biosafety topics such as biotechnology regulation, patent
law, biosafety, access to genetic resources; biosafety for health
professionals; detection of genetically modified organisms in food
products; residues from the health sector; training of biosafety
inspectors; biosafety in the pharmaceutical sector; biotechnology for
professionals of the media; biosafety for lawyers; biotechnology and
biodiversity; bioethics and genetic manipulations; biotechnology and
public perception; risk assessment of genetically modified organisms.
About 2000 professionals were trained during this period and 350
grants could be awarded by ANBio, allowing cost-free training of
public health professionals.
ANBio has
cooperation agreements with different national and international
public and private institutions such as FAPERJ (Research Support
Foundation of the State of Rio de Janeiro), CNPq (National Research
Council), CAPES (Coordination for post-graduate studies), FINEP
(Federal financing agency for studies and projects), FIOCRUZ (Oswaldo
Cruz Foundation), UNIVERCIDADE (one of the greatest private
universities of Rio de Janeiro), UNEP, ABSA and ISAAA, with the aim
to train professionals in the field of biosafety and related
sciences. During the same period, ANBio organized two national
congresses and two Latin American symposia, which gathered about 1000
professionals from Brazil, Latin America, Europe, the United States,
Canada and Asia. The events had great repercussion in the national
and international press and caused widespread opinion building impact
in the field of modern biotechnology. During the II Brazilian
Biosafety Congress (photo 1), ANBio offered a scholarship for a
training period at the biggest biosafety research center of the
world, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention-CDC, Atlanta,
USA, to a Brazilian professional.
On occasion of
the same congress, Prof. Dr. Ernesto Paterniani, member of ANBio's
scientific council, was honored with a medal for his contribution to
Brazilian science, in commemoration of the fiftieth birthday of the
National Research Council, presently the greatest Brazilian agency
for the support of research. Prof. Paterniani, one of the most
eminent specialists in corn cultivation, received the commemorative
medal from the hands of Dr. Maureen Best, representing the American
Biological Safety Association and the efforts of this institution
towards biosafety in the world (photo 2).
In 2001, ANBio
started to issue its journal with and edition of 22.000 copies. The
journal is distributed free of charge to undergraduate and graduate
students, professors, professionals of the most different fields,
opinion builders, members of the parliament and different sectors of
the nonprofessional society, with the aim to disseminate information
about the advances in technology and its control mechanisms. Our home
page (www.anbio.org.br) reached in less than one year the mark of
20.000 visitors. With a great number of links, it offers useful
information for research in the field of biosafety and related areas
in the country and abroad. The home page also offers the contents of
the courses held by ANBio, the journal and other information, in the
near future also available for on-line consultation in English and Spanish.
For the years
2002 and 2003, ANBio programmed courses and symposia at different
Brazilian states where about 1000 professionals will receive training
in different fields related to biological safety. Among them are the
course "Technological and risk management for
administrators", the symposium "Industrial residues and
environmental impact, "I Symposium on biosafety for
biotechnological processes applied to nutrition - I SIMBION" and
the course on "Biosafety in hospital and laboratory procedures
and facilities". Further events are the "Theoretical and
practical course on the detection of genetically modified organisms
in food products and inter-laboratorial study for the approval of
labs" and the seminary - "Understanding biotechnology -
cloning, GMOs, stem cell therapy - what does that mean?" The III
Brazilian Biosafety Congress and III Latin American Symposium on
Transgenic Products will be held from September 24 to 27, 2003, in
the historical city of Recife, Pernambuco. Its central topic will be
"50 Years of DNA - What has changed in Man's life?" During
this III congress, we intend to commemorate the 50 years of discovery
of the DNA, with the participation of one of its discoverers, Dr.
James Watson. Make your plans now and participate with us in this
milestone event for worldwide science. More information about our
events is available at our home page www.anbio.org.br |
