366 



Mr. Synar. I didn't ask you that. 



Mr. Glenn. I know you didn't ask me that, Mr. Synar, but what 

 you asked me was very naive. 



Mr. Synar. Did they do research in tobacco research and how it 

 affects health, yes or no? 



Mr. Glenn. Yes. 



Mr. Synar. Will you provide that for the record? We would like 

 to see it. 



Mr. Glenn. I would be glad to provide the papers published by 

 these Nobel prize winners. 



Mr. Synar. In the area of tobacco and how it affects health. 



[The following information was received. Documents referred to 

 hereinafter in these responses have been retained in subcommittee 

 files.] 



As I testified on May 26, the Council has funded three investigators who have 

 v/on Nobel Prizes: Dr. Baruj Benaceraff of Harvard University, Dr. Stanley Cohen 

 of Vanderbilt University and Dr. Harold E. Varmus of the University of California 

 at San Francisco. 



Dr. Benaceraff, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1980, received a Council 

 grant from 1972 through 1974 for investigating "Control of Specific Cellular and Hu- 

 moral Immune Responses to Neoplastic and Non-neoplastic Tissues." Item A in the 

 Appendix includes three publications acknowledging the Council's support of Dr. 

 Benaceraffs research. 



Dr. Cohen, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1986, received a Council grant 

 from 1987 through 1993 for investigating "The Role of Lipocortin in the Cellular Re- 

 sponse to EOF." Item B in the Appendix includes six publications acknowledging the 

 Council's support of Dr. Cohen's research. 



Dr. Varmus, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1989, received a Council grant 

 from 1984 through 1986 for investigating "Functional Analysis of Cellular 

 Oncogenes Activated During Tumorigenesis." Item C in the Appendix is a publica- 

 tion acknowledging the Council's support of Dr. Varmus' research. 



As I explained to the subcommittee on May 26, the Council-funded research by 

 these Nobel laureates was basic biomedical research aimed at improving our under- 

 standing of fundamental disease processes — which is the kind of research that is 

 now believed to further scientific understanding of the effects of tobacco use on 

 health. Dr. Benaceraff conducted pioneering research into the humoral 

 immunological response of the host when presented, attacked or invaded by can- 

 cerous growths. His work has provided important insights into how regulatory 

 mechanisms may operate in defense of the host organism. Dr. Cohen studied cell 

 growth factors and their role in regulating growth and differentiation. His investiga- 

 tion of genetic controls of growth factors opened the door to our understanding of 

 mechanisms by which normal cells become cancerous. Dr. Varmus' pioneering work 

 with oncogenes made important contributions to our overall understanding of how 

 healthy cells become transformed into cells that can no longer control their growth 

 and therefore become cancerous. 



Mr. Glenn. Mr. Synar, one does not have to specifically inves- 

 tigate tobacco as a product 



Mr. Synar. Dr. Glenn, you just said under oath that they did 

 have expertise in research in tobacco and health-related issues 

 with respect to tobacco. Is that correct? 



Mr. Glenn. Fundamental understanding of basic cellular and 

 molecular biology is the basis for understanding scientific truth 

 which will then let us understand the specifics of a vehicle such as 

 tobacco. 



Mr. Synar. That is a very convenient way to say that they are 

 not conducting tobacco-related research, isn't it, Dr. Glenn? 



Mr. Glenn. No, Mr. Synar, it is not. 



