Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters (한국미생물·생명공학회지)

The Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology (한국미생물·생명공학회)
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Understanding the Access and Benefit-Sharing of Genetic Resources for Microbiology Researchers

나고야의정서 이행에 따른 새로운 유전자원 접근 이익공유 체계의 이해와 미생물 연구자의 대응방안

  • Lee, Jonghyun (ABS Research Support Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology) ;
  • An, Minho (ABS Research Support Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology) ;
  • Chang, Young-Hyo (ABS Research Support Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology)
  • 이종현 (한국생명공학연구원 ABS연구지원센터) ;
  • 안민호 (한국생명공학연구원 ABS연구지원센터) ;
  • 장영효 (한국생명공학연구원 ABS연구지원센터)
  • Received : 2021.04.26
  • Accepted : 2021.05.24
  • Published : 2021.09.28
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Abstract

Following enforcement of the Nagoya Protocol (NP), in which the sovereign rights to genetic resources of countries are recognized, new legal obligations regarding access and benefit-sharing (ABS) that did not exist before have now been imposed on researchers. To implement the NP, many countries are introducing new procedures and regulations when a researcher wants to obtain genetic resources for commercial or noncommercial uses. It is therefore expected that resource-rich countries will adopt strong regulations to protect their genetic resources. In this regard, Korean microbiologists will need to respond to these changes to minimize the potential damages caused by the ABS. This paper reviews the key contents of the NP to raise its awareness among scientific researchers and further presents specific measures to meet the ABS obligations accordingly. For example, Korean researchers, in principle, do not need to acquire Prior Informed Consents (PICs) when they access Korean microbial resources for both commercial or research purposes. Nevertheless, when a foreign culture collection agency such as DSMZ requests a confirmation of compliance with the NP to deposit genetic resources, Korean researchers can also apply for a PIC with the Korean government as an exception. By referring to this article, microbiologists will be able to conduct their research in compliance with the NP while respecting the legal ABS obligations of each resource-providing country.

최근 생명공학 R&D의 필수 재료인 유전자원에 대한 취득과 그 이용을 규제하는 국제 규범, 즉 나고야의정서가 등장하면서 관련 분야 연구자에게 상당한 불편과 부담이 우려되고 있다. 나고야의정서가 발효함에 따라 그 동안 인류공동유산으로서 마치 공공재처럼 모든 국가가 자유롭게 사용해왔던 유전자원에 대하여 자원 보유국의 배타적 소유권이 인정되면서 자원의 취득과 이용에 대한 각국의 법적 규제가 도입되고 있다. 특히 유전자원의 해외의존도가 높은 우리나라는 보다 체계적인 대응을 해야 할 필요성이 있다. 이 글은 연구자를 포함한 국내외 유전자원 이용자의 나고야의정서에 대한 인식 제고를 위하여, 먼저 의정서의 주요 핵심내용을 분석하고 해외 유전자원 이용을 위한 접근, 취득 및 이익공유의 전체적인 구조와 흐름을 제시함으로써 향후 적절한 대응에 도움이 될 수 있도록 구성·기술하였다. 나고야의정서에 적절하게 대처하기 위해서는 연구자 본인의 노력과 국가적인 차원에서의 지원이 동시에 필요하다. 우선 연구자는 나고야의정서 체제에서의 연구활동 진행에 관한 전체적인 틀과 각 단계별 구체적인 대응에 관한 이해를 반드시 해야 한다. 이를 토대로 유전자원 접근단계부터 이로 인해 발생한 이익의 공유단계까지 제공국의 ABS절차에 적절하게 대응해야 한다. 이렇게 볼 때 나고야의정서로 인해 과거 대비 연구활동에 일정부분 제한이 가해지고 연구 외적인 부담이 가중되었다고 할 수 있다. 하지만 전 세계적으로 유전자원에 대한 국가의 주권을 인정하는 시류가 한시적이라고 보기 힘든 상황임은 분명하다. 나고야의정서 체제를 중심으로 자국의 유전자원에 대한 주권적 권리를 지키고자 하는 자원부국의 기조가 더 강해질 것으로 예상된다. 따라서 국내 연구자도 관련 피해를 최소화하기 위한 대비를 보다 확실히 해야 할 것이다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) Program (NRF-2016M3A9A5919083) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology(KRIBB) Research Initiative Program (KGM5232022).

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