Polymeric Synthetic Oxygen Carriers for Transfusion at the Location of Injury; An Analysis of the Ethical and Sociotechnical Context of Biotechnology in the Military-Industrial Complex

Given the fact that the technical project was quite firmly a part of the military-industrial complex, an exploration of the wider context of biotechnology in the military-industrial complex seemed appropriate. A major point of discussion in the research paper is dual-use technologies, which are technologies with both military and civilian potential uses. The synthetic oxygen carriers are a perfect example of a dual-use technology. The project is funded by the Department of Defense and its intended use is to aid wounded soldiers on the battlefield; however, the exact same technology can be used just as effectively by civilian EMTs responding to car crashes, gunshot wounds, or other scenarios in which injury or death due to severe hemorrhage is an immediate threat. Another major point of discussion of the research paper is the relevance of the political, economic, and social factors surrounding any given technology to the creation and use of that technology. Much of the proposed military-industrial medical ethics framework focused on the clinical development of a biotechnology and beyond, which is a step or two beyond the current state of the synthetic oxygen carriers. However, as the project marches on, it will be increasingly important to think about the technology relative to the framework, and how we can be proactive in preparing the technology to be created and used in a bioethical manner.