Workshop: “Emerging Biotechnologies and Ethics” (28-30 Nov 2024)
The rapid advancement of biotechnologies presents unprecedented opportunities and challenges across various domains of human life. Innovations like synthetic cells, living materials, soft robotics, brain organoids, artificial intelligence in healthcare, and germline editing promise breakthroughs in science and medicine. They also raise profound ethical and anthropological questions about the nature of life, human identity, and the social impacts of altering biological processes.
The workshop “Emerging Biotechnologies and Ethics” seeks to foster an interdisciplinary dialogue between life sciences researchers and scholars engaged in ethical, philosophical, and social reflection on these advancements. It is a joint venture between the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials (IMSEAM), the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (MPImR), and the Marsilius-Kolleg.
The event will open with a public panel discussion at the Neue Aula of Heidelberg University on Thursday, 28 November on the topic of brain organoids, followed by two days of talks and in-depth discussions.
The majority of speakers will be drawn from Heidelberg University and its renowned local research institutions, including the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), and Heidelberg University Hospital as well as the IMSEAM and the MPImR themselves. The workshop will also feature S. Matthew Liao, Arthur Zitrin Professor of Bioethics at the School of Global Public Health at New York University (NYU), as the keynote speaker, adding an internationally recognized voice to the ethical debates surrounding emerging biotechnologies.
For registration and additional information please visit: https://www.marsilius-kolleg.uni-heidelberg.de/en/emerging-biotechnologies-and-ethics
Any further questions can be directed to: Nils Schütz (nils.schuetz@ts.uni-heidelberg.de)
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