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Hon. Henry A. Waxinan -4- September 27, 1994 



Scientific research funded by the Council has included 

 grants to leading scientists (including three Nobel laure- 

 ates) , who are affiliated with many of the country's most 

 distinguished research institutions. (These research insti- 

 tutions are listed in one of the attachments to my written 

 testimony to the Subcommittee, dated May 25, 1994.) Most of 

 the researchers funded by the Council were also receiving 

 support from funding organizations such as the National 

 Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, the Amer- 

 ican Heart Association, and the National Cancer Institute. 



The research funded by the Council relates to 

 issues of smoking and health. The focus of much of this 

 research is the etiology of diseases associated with smok- 

 ing. To a considerable extent, meaningful research into the 

 etiology of those diseases involves basic research into 

 disease mechanisms, much of which takes place at the cellu- 

 lar and sub-cellular level. Accordingly, in recent years, 

 an increasing proportion of the research funded by Council 

 grants-in-aid has been devoted to such basic research. That 

 trend is consistent with developments in scientific re- 

 search. It is this kind of basic scientific research that 

 much of the scientific community believes will provide 

 answers to questions about the causes of chronic diseases 

 and about the relationship of smoking to those disease mech- 

 anisms. 



The researchers who receive Council grants are 

 selected on the basis of ratings given to their applications 

 by the Council's Scientific Advisory Board ("SAB"). The 

 members of the SAB have been, and are, distinguished scien- 

 tists of unimpeachable integrity. 



The researchers who receive Council grants conduct 

 their research independently, without control by or inter- 

 ference from the Council. They are expected to publish 

 their research findings in scientific journals, again with- 

 out interference from the Council. Over 5,000 such articles 

 have been published, the vast majority of them in peer- 

 reviewed journals, as a result of research funded by the 

 Council's grants and contracts. 



To the best of my knowledge, none of the results 

 or findings from research sponsored by the Council (includ- 

 ing research funded as Council Special Projects) has been 

 kept secret or has been suppressed in any way. The Council 



