This symposium, which was held on March 10-11, 2003, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, brought together policy experts and managers from the government and academic sectors in both developed and developing countries to (1) describe the role, value, and limits that the public domain and open access to digital data and information have in the context of international research; (2) identify and analyze the various legal, economic, and technological pressures on the public domain in digital data and information, and their potential effects on international research; and (3) review the existing and proposed approaches for preserving and promoting the public domain and open access to scientific and technical data and information on a global basis, with particular attention to the needs of developing countries.

Current Developments in Biotechnology and Bioengineering: Human and Animal Health Applications provides extensive coverage of new developments, state-of-the-art technologies, and potential future trends, presenting data-based scientific knowledge and information on medical biotechnological interventions for human and animal health. Drawing on the key development areas in this field, the book reviews biotechnological advances and applications in immunotechnology, vaccines and vaccinology, combinatorial libraries, gene and cell therapy, tissue engineering, and parasite and infectious disease diagnostics. This title outlines why biotechnological techniques in these areas are useful in a clinical context and considers their potential uses, limitations, and the ethical considerations surrounding their use. - Provides development in human and animal health due to biotechnology - Includes immunotechnology and vaccinology - Outlines diagnostic techniques based on tissue and metabolic engineering principles - Considers potential uses of the various biotechnology based techniques and the ethical issues raised in their use