As. Prof. Dr. Eliana B. Souto

Eliana B. Souto is assistant professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa in Porto, Portugal. She leads the research group in Nanomedicine & Nanotechnology, and coordinates the PhD programme in Biopharmaceutical Chemistry.

Her main research activity is focused on developing of new types of nanoparticulate systems, mainly composed of lipids and hybrid materials for the delivery of active drugs (peptides, proteins, genes, poorly soluble drugs) across biological barriers.

Eliana B. Souto acts as independent expert in several international framework programmes, and as referee for many peer-review international journals in the field of Nanosciences and Nanotechnologies, including Patenting & Ethics. She also serves the Associate and Editorial Boards of several thematic journals in the same field. In this thematic area, she recently edited two books. Eliana B. Souto is the author and co-author of about 90 papers, 20 book chapters and more than 200 abstracts & proceedings presented in international meetings.

Presentation

Ethics and Ethics Review Issues in NMP Research

Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Materials and new Production Technologies (NMP) is a research programme with a multidisciplinary background. Given its disciplinary diversity, the ethical norms that their practitioners should respond, are usually only briefly addressed. The different players - Scientists & Engineers - involved in the intersectoral and interdisciplinary activities of NMP research have different understandings of what ethics is. They come from different scientific fields, thus bringing the question of creating a common Code of Ethics and applying it to promote public awareness and trust. The ethical screening in NMP research aims at alerting of the perils that might arise from working e.g. at the nanoscale, and reassure the practitioners, shareholders and stakeholders about the consequences and professional responsibility has been put in place.