ASTM International’s industrial biotechnology committee is developing a proposed standard to help classify microorganisms.
“This standard will give customers of the biotechnology industry, the general public, and regulators more information on the composition and intended uses for a given product,” ASTM International member Joseph McAuliffe, senior principal scientist at DuPont Industrial Biosciences said.
According to McAuliffe, the E3214 standard will help biotech industry customers to compare product options, while also helping regulators determine how to classify new types of microbial products.
ASTM International industrial biotechnology chair William Armiger, president, BioChemInsights, said since microbe-based products are already well-established across many markets impacted by industrial biotechnology, this standard supports a number of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
“It will stimulate practical solutions utilizing technology and knowledge that address the complex issues of environmental, economic, societal and ethical considerations necessary for implementing UN SDGs related to human health, hunger, energy, water, sustainable cities, and climate change,” Armiger said.
The committee welcomes participants in the development of the proposed E3214 standard.