Attachment VII - Page 6 
gene into a patient's bone marrow cells in vitro and then reintroducing 
the cells into the patient's body. In germ line alterations, a specific 
attempt is made to introduce genetic changes into the germ (reproductive) 
cells of an individual, with the aim of chang lrg the set of genes passed 
on to the individual's offspring. The RAC and its working group will 
not at present entertain proposals for germ line alterations but will 
consider for approval protocols involving scrratic-cell gene therapy. 
(8) The acceptability of human somatic-cell gene therapy has been addressed 
in several recent public documents as well as in numerous academic studies. 
The November 1982 report of the President's Ccrnrrussion for the Study of 
Ethical Problems in Medicine and Bicmedical and Behavioral Research, 
Splicing Life , resulted frcm a two-year process of public deliberations 
and hearings; upon release of that report, a House subccirmittee held 
three days of public hearings with witnesses frcm a wide range of fields 
from the bicmedical and social sciences to theology, philosophy, and 
law. In Pecember 1984, the Office of Technology Assessment released a 
background paper, Human Gene Therapy , which brought these earlier documents 
up-to-date . As the latter report concluded : 
"Civic, religious, scientific, and medic ail groups have all accepted, 
in principle, the appropriateness of gene therapy of somatic cells 
in humans for specific genetic diseases. Scnatic cell gene therapy 
is seen as an extension of present methods of therapy that might be 
preferable to other technologies." 
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