PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biosafety and Biosecurity
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1649781
This article is part of the Research TopicInsights In Biosafety & Biosecurity 2024/2025: Novel Developments, Current Challenges, and Future PerspectivesView all 8 articles
Awareness of the Dual-Use Dilemma in Scientific Research: Reflections and challenges to Latin America
Provisionally accepted
Jose Alonso Flores-Coronado
Alondra Yamileth Alanis-Valdez
Maria Fernanda Herrera-Saldivar
Aldo Sebastian Flores-Flores
Jose Manuel Vazquez-Guillen*Reyes S Tamez-GuerraCristina Rodriguez-Padilla- Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
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The dual-use dilemma compels us to reflect on scientific responsibility, ethical regulation, and the role of society in the governance of knowledge. While science has the potential to transform the world for the better, it can also become a double-edged sword if the implications of its potential misuse are overlooked. This is particularly relevant in the life sciences, where advances can be repurposed for harmful by secondary actors. Addressing this challenge requires the development of preventive tools, biosafety and biosecurity measures specifically designed for dual-use research, and clear, up-to-date regulatory frameworks at both national and international levels. These mechanisms should aim to anticipate risks, restrict unauthorized access to sensitive information, and foster a culture of responsibility within the scientific community, without hindering the advancement of knowledge or obstructing legitimate innovation. This perspective explores the dual-use dilemma through a global lens, with a specific focus on Latin America, a region where policies and institutional awareness on dual-use risks remain limited. By analyzing illustrative case studies, existing international tools, and regional gaps, this work highlights both the obstacles and opportunities for strengthening dual-use governance in Latin American research systems.
Keywords: biosafety, biosecurity, Dual use research, Ethics, Research, Risk Assessment
Received: 19 Jun 2025; Accepted: 18 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Flores-Coronado, Alanis-Valdez, Herrera-Saldivar, Flores-Flores, Vazquez-Guillen, Tamez-Guerra and Rodriguez-Padilla. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jose Manuel Vazquez-Guillen, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico
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