Science is the art of answering new questions, but more and more often is facing problems which are the product of its own success. First among these is the problem posed by the relationship between scientific research and economic growth, generated by the changing equilibrium among the developed countries and the growing gap between the North and South of the planet, by a new conception of health and the quality of life and by the questions that technological progress poses for the future of human race and the environment.

Scientific progress has always deeply modified social organisation and individual liife style and attitude, often indipendently from a public awareness of these transformations. Today, the relationship between science and economics is stronger than ever, and the pace of discoveries and their application is more and more rapid. Communicating to the public the potential and the limits of research is therefore indispensable to create a good relationship between science and society, between decision-makers and the citizen.

Ten Nobel Laureates are invited to turn their attention to the major issues that have emerged from the redefinition of our conceptions of humanity, nature and society in the wake of scientific progress. Their lectures are divided into five sessions.
The Global Utility of Biotechnology

Tuesday 7 December 1993


Biotechnology involves the application of a range of new procedures, like gene cloning, monoclonal antibody production and cell culture, to the generation of new agents to improve health, agriculture and even chemical and energy production. New pharmaceutical agents, new diagnostic reagents, disease-resistant crops, animal health products and vaccines are some of the promised results and in a few cases the promise has already been realized.
However, there are formidable problems, both economic and technical, that impede the adaptation of modern biotechnology to the full range of opportunities in today's world. Biotechnology, as practiced now, is often very expensive and outcomes from research are uncertain, making capital availability a limiting factor. Also, biotechnology development is heavily dependent on a strong infrastructure, making it difficult to carry out in lesser-developed countries. Finally, biotechnology derives from very sophisticated science and its utilization requires highly educated people.
But in spite of the hurdles toward export of biotechnology from the developed to the developing world, the promise is so great that the effort must be and is being made. Agriculture offers the most exciting oppportunities for applying biotechnology in the developing world. The Green Revolution was accomplished with brute-force genetics. Today we have the ability to apply the surgical genetics of the recombinant DNA era to plants, allowing us to capture and combine desirable traits precisely and rapidly. This is true for both animals and plants. We tend to think of increasing yield as the main goal of agricultural research but equally important goals today are reduced dependence on chemical fertilizers and insecticides, better utilization of scarce water resources, cheaper production methods to improve competitiveness in world markets and growth of higher value products. The developing world is no longer fighting to feed itself but sees agriculture as an export industry and biotechnology will be a necessary component to making that industry competitive.
Other areas of biotechnology that are valuable to the developing world include vaccine design, production of diagnostic reagents and manufacture of animal health products. These are critical to human health and efficient production of livestock. The high end of biotechnology, production of new therapeutic entities, is almost certainly out of the reach of the developing world because of its technological sophistication and capital requirements.
Nonetheless, biotechnology is a very appropriate technology for the problems of the developing world as well as the developed world and it is destined to play a part in the activities of the whole world in the future.
The resulting essay has been translated into Italian and published in the book Scienza, economia, etica per il prossimo secolo. Dieci Nobel per il futuro. (Marsilio, Venezia 1994).