摘要: There is concern that rapid progress in biology, chemistry and thecommercialization of biotechnology will have applications to the development of biological and toxin weapons. The paper examines the tremendous increase in our know... 展开 There is concern that rapid progress in biology, chemistry and thecommercialization of biotechnology will have applications to the development of biological and toxin weapons. The paper examines the tremendous increase in our knowledge of recently identified peptides (toxins and bioregulators) that control biological activity. These advances have increased concern about the scope for misuse of toxins and bioregulators as weapons. The Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) prohibits the development, production and stockpiling of biological or toxin weapons. The Convention does not address matters related to research. The commercialization of some of the production technologies has expanded to the point that many companies offer for sale quantities of peptides that could have military importance. 收起