Redefining Biosecurity by Application in Global Health, Biodefense, and Developing Technologies

Abstract

The term “biosecurity” has been broadly applied to a variety of industries over several decades, and continues to have various meanings to different audiences. It is generally accepted that the origin of the term can be traced back nearly one hundred years referencing certain agricultural practices in the context of controlling livestock health. Today, the term biosecurity can be widely seen in the laboratory environment, the media, in the context of biodefense, throughout government agencies and ministries worldwide, in discussions of genetically-modified organisms, agriculture, and information technology. Concerns of global health and security could not be more relevant than today, given the paradigm shifts manifested by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the resulting coronavirus pandemic. This book will focus on the challenges that this and future pandemic events will bring and offer biosecurity as a set of practices to aid in humanity’s combat of devastating emerging infectious diseases. To further add complexity to the definition are the rapid advances in technologies that challenge our understanding of how to apply biosecurity principles and practices. Finally, unlike the well-established field of biological safety (i.e., biosafety), there remains a lack of credentialing programs to define a “biosecurity professional.” Taken together, our modern and technologically-driven world is in need redefining what biosecurity means and how it is practiced.