the developing country reactions to biomedical techniques and plant biotechnology the tunisian experience发展中国家对生物医学技术和植物生物技术突尼斯经验.pdfVIP

Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology • 2004:3 (2004) 124–129 • PII. S1110724304401053 • LETTER TO THE EDITOR The Developing Country Reactions to Biomedical Techniques and Plant Biotechnology: The Tunisian Experience Fethi Tebourski∗ and Amel Ben Ammar-Elgaaied Laboratoire de Genetique, Immunologie et Biotechnologie, Departement des Sciences Biologiques, ´ ´ ´ Faculte des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire, ´ Le Belvedere 1060 Tunis, Tunisia ´ ` Received 16 January 2004; accepted 18 March 2004 In the present study we present the conditions offered to biotechnology development in Tunisia and we compare three main biotech- nology applications which raise ethical and health problems: organ transplant, assisted reproductive techniques, and genetically mod- ified organisms. We try to identify factors that have allowed success of the first two applications and failure of the latter. Conditions offered to biotechnology in other African countries are also discussed. INTRODUCTION THE EXAMPLES OF THREE BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS IN TUNISIA For biotechnology development, some conditions are required but are not always provided at the adequate level Organ transplant in each country. These conditions include: