BOOK REVIEWS

trade policy, environmental concerns, and technical barriers to trade are

biodiversity issues, regulatory matters discussed. The role of international
and human rights connections. organizations and treaties like IPPC
The book focuses on regulatory regimes (International Plant Protection Conven-
concerned with biotechnology, mainly tion), CBD (Convention on Biological
dealing with global perspectives espe- Diversity), FAO (Food and Agricultural
cially in the US, EU and India. This is Organization), WTO (World Trade
perhaps the only book on this particular Organization), WHO (World Health
aspect that gives academicians, Organization), and UN (United Nation)
researchers, technicians, lawyers and in legitimating the international disputes
policy-makers an accelerated start and were discussed. Various case studies and
handy tool to work in the Indian regula- disputes are also discussed in this chap-
tory regime in about 350 pages. The ter. The following chapter deals with
book is a corpus of seven chapters with human rights concerns in biotechnology.
extensive literature that focuses on regu- It begins with various international con-
latory framework in biotechnology. ventions like UDHR (Universal Declara-
In a nutshell, the book is an excellent tion of Human Rights), ICCPR (Inter-
Law Relating to Biotechnology. N. S. introduction to biotechnology and its national Covenant on Civil and Political
Sreenivasulu. Oxford University Press, connection with law. It is organized in a Rights), ICESCR (International Cove-
YMCA Library Building, 1 Jai Singh logical and convenient way, according to nant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Road, New Delhi 110 001. 2016. biotechnological integration with differ- Rights), and protocols like the Paris Pro-
xii + 345 pages. Price: Rs 795.00. ISBN- ent regimes of trade, health, law and en- tocol, Strasbourg Protocol, Universal
13: 978-0-19-946748-8; ISBN-10: 0-19- vironment. The first chapter highlights Declaration on the Human Genome and
946748-X. classical and modern biotechnology from Human Rights (UDHGHR) that protect
the production of wine, beer and bread human rights and research directives.
The world is looking for creation and using fermentation nearly 10,000 years The chapter also includes the directives
development in every fields. A curious ago to the Nobel Prize-winning work of framed by the EU, USA and India for
mind looks to explore possibilities in James Watson and Francis Crick in de- GM crops, GM foods, stem cell and em-
every action. The realm of curiosity scribing the DNA double-helix structure. bryonic research and food security.
leads to create the fundamental theories. The second chapter deals with the bio- The last chapter of the book deals with
Mankind to fulfill their desired require- technological tools, techniques and biotechnological regulation in India. It
ment tried to cover the new facts to gen- inventions like plant breeding and includes various guidelines, regulations,
erate the technology. The history of hybridization, tissue culture and cell cul- legislations and measures to institutional
human evolution shows that technology ture, hybridoma technology, r-DNA mechanism. The chapter ends with the
has always revolutionized any given era. technology, antisense technology, GMOs Indian attempt for regulation in a form of
The breakthrough discoveries starting and transgenic organisms, cloning, hu- Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of
from wheel and fire to recent semi- man genome project and stem cell re- India Bill, 2013.
conductors and DNA have formed the search. Overall, the framing of each chapter
pillars to generate an ease of life. The The third chapter deals with a policy covered biotechnological regulations at
21st century is the place where it has uti- framework for biotechnology in India. It national to international level. The inter-
lized technology as before used. The discusses how the issues and challenges disciplinary content of this book may
integration of technology is profound in were overcome by the Government of prove useful for both graduate and
management, media, infrastructure, agri- India (GoI) and also the Department of undergraduate students. The index pro-
culture, architecture and inventions. Biotechnology (DBT) under the Ministry vided at the end is also helpful. I recom-
Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary of Science and Technology, GoI which mend this book for readers from all
branch that includes biochemistry, shaped the Biotechnology Policy for backgrounds: science, technology, law or
molecular biology, immunology, toxi- India. The fourth chapter is dedicated to others.
cology, molecular medicine, plant and intellectual property rights and biotech-
animal physiology, clinical chemistry, nology. It starts with the provision of VIRALKUMAR B. MANDALIYA
nutrition, medical biochemistry, and TRIPS Agreement and then focuses on
molecular aspects of human diseases. the protection of biotechnological inven- Gujarat National Law University,
‘Addressing the untold: a need of hour to tions in different regions globally, espe- Gandhinagar 382 426, India
look behind the curtain’ this statement cially the US, EU and India. It also e-mail: viral_mandaliya@yahoo.com
has been addressed by the author of this discusses patents on transgenic plants,
book. This book is authored by a profes- animals and genetically modified micro-
sor of law, advisor and popular writer in organisms, status of trademarks and trade
legal jurisprudence, with adequate secrets in biotechnological innovations.
knowledge on legal issues pertinent to In the fifth chapter, the author has
biotechnology. The book offers latest de- included the international trade regime
velopment and applications of biotech- on biotechnological regulations. The
nology, including intellectual property, national and international agreements

2162 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 115, NO. 11, 10 DECEMBER 2018