Learn about biosecurity, biosafety and bioethics, and why they're vital - inside and outside of the lab. Explore biosecurity and learn how to respond to biological threats. Today’s world is facing more biological threats than ever, from mutations to antibiotic resistance to new diseases and increased access to engineered diseases. It’s vital that scientific research is being carried out safely to protect those who work in the lab as well as wider communities.
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On this course you will get an introduction to these issues, exploring biosecurity, biological threats and how to counter them in your work. You will also learn about responding to biological challenges and learn to examine issues in the lab.
What topics will you cover?
- Introduction to biosecurity
- Biological threats and challenges
- Responding to biological challenges: what you can do inside the lab
- Responding to biological challenges: what is done outside the lab
- Responsible conduct of science: learning to critically examine security issues arising with the lab and formulate responses
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...
- Understand and explain the need for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity, and what these entail
- Describe the biosecurity challenges facing the 21st century, especially as the revolution in life sciences continues
- Discuss how biosecurity policies, practices and guidelines are developed at international and national levels and how to contribute to these processes
- Identify areas of security and ethical concern within the life sciences and reflect on strategies and approaches to deal with them as they arise
- Summarise what it means to be safe in the lab, how to apply these principles and what to expect from others to keep you and the community safe from accidental and deliberate actions
