Editor-in-Chief Opening Remarks

Dear Readers,

I am delighted to present the final issue of Lex Genetica for this year. In the context of rapid scientific and technological progress, the highly topical issues in genetics, bioeconomy, medicine, biotechnology, and law presented in this issue are the subject of important public discussion.

The issue opens with an article by A. A. Mikhailova, Yu. A. Nasykhova, I. Yu. Kogan, and A. S. Glotov from the Research Institute of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductology named after D. O. Ott, dedicated to the issues and prospects for the development of biobanks. While biobanks are an integral part of modern medicine and biomedical research, their use raises concerns related to the confidentiality of data and the ethical use of biological material. Key issues related to the development of biobanks in the Russian Federation are analyzed along with a discussion of further prospects for the development of this area.

An equally important topic is the development of assisted reproductive technologies and the conceptual crisis affecting the institution of motherhood. New ethical dilemmas concerning the definition of motherhood, as well as the respective rights of children and parents, arise in the context of the rapid development of IVF methods, including surrogacy and preimplantation diagnostics. As well as presenting an analysis of existing legal norms, medical practices and public opinion, the article by E.E. Bogdanova proposes new approaches to the legal regulation of this area.

The article from the comparative legal studies section focuses on the protection of agricultural genetic resources in China. As a major agricultural producer, China faces enormous challenges, including those related to the safety and potential risks of genetically modified foods. The article by Tong Zhanzong from Beijing Agricultural University, which examines civil liability arising from GM foods in China, provides a unique perspective on China’s experience in this area.

One of the key topics is the legal regulation of food security in the context of bioeconomic development. M.V. Nekoteneva’s article examines the peculiarities of the legal regulation of food security at the global and regional levels (in particular, in the European Union, the EAEU). A.V. Kubyshkin also provides an overview of international experience, analyzing the regulation of the activities of bioresource centers and biological collections at the level of international organizations.

The interview concluding the current issue presents the views of D. Yu. Trofimov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Institute of Reproductive Genetics of the V. I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation on a number of important issues in reproductive genetics.

We hope that the presented materials will be of interest to a wide range of readers – scientists, practicing doctors, lawyers – indeed, all those who are concerned with current issues of genetics, bioethics, bioeconomy, medicine, and legal regulation of these areas.

Best regards,
Editor-in-Chief O.S. Grin’