MINUTES OF MEETING - March 6-7 
11 
supported by NSF's Program in Ethics and Values in Science and Technology. 
He said they had originally intended to survey all American IBCs, but 
later restricted the study to California. Ms. King suggested that the 
RAC invite a representative frcm the California study to address the RAC 
at the June meeting. Dr. Gottesman suggested that if NIH holds a meeting 
of • IBC Chairmen in the autumn, RAC members could ask them questions at 
that time. 
Dr. Krimsky moved to defer consideration of Mr. Lester's proposal, to 
schedule a general discussion of IBCs, and to invite a representative 
from the group doing the California study to address the RAC at the next 
meeting. The motion was carried by a vote of sixteen in favor, two 
opposed, and three abstentions. 
X. PROPOSED AMENDMENT OF SECTION ON EUKARYOTIC VIRUS VECTORS 
Dr. Baltimore briefly summarized the history of the proposal, tab 826 
(843/16). Section I-E-5 permits the Director, NIH, to exempt from the 
Guidelines experiments which do not present a significant risk to health 
or the environment. Recombinant ENA molecules, of which no component is 
derived from a eukaryotic virus, and which are propagated and maintained 
in cells in tissue culture, have been included under this exemption and 
are cited in Appendix C of the Guidelines. At the December 1979 RAC 
meeting, Dr. Wallace Rowe proposed that Appendix C tie amended to exempt 
eukaryotic viral fragments of less than one-quarter of the genome. 
Dr. Setlcw appointed a Wbrking Group to study the proposal. The group 
arrived at the proposal published in the Federal Register (tab 843/16), 
which would revise Sections Ill-C-l-(e), III-C-l-e-1, III-C-l-e-(l)-(a) , 
and III-C-l-e-(l )-(b) of the Guidlines and add a new Section III-C-1-e- 
(l)-(c). The proposed new Section III-C-l-e-(l)-(a) reads as follows: 
,, III-C-l-e-(l)-(a) . Recombinant DMA molecules containing no more 
than two-thirds of the genome of any eukaryotic virus (all viruses 
from a single Family being considered identical) may be propagated 
and maintained ih cells in tissue culture in the absence of helper 
virus using Pi containment. The DNA may contain fragments of the 
genomes of viruses from more than one Family but each fragment must 
be less than two- thirds of a gencme. For such experiments, no MUA 
need be submitted but prior notice must be given to the IBC as des- 
cribed in Section III-O of the Guidelines. The IBC should handle 
such registration documents as described in Section III-O." 
Dr. Baltimore said that the notion of a viral Family is well defined. 
A Family is composed of viruses of a common biochemical type. He said 
that there is no experimental evidence to date that any eukaryotic virus 
can dispense with one-third of its genetic information and replicate 
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