28 
"If I had a relative with malignant melanoma, I would be very unhappy 
if the availability of this material were delayed by half a year 
because a material that is not toxic to cells and is not toxic 
to animals still scares us because it has the word recombinant 
diphtheria toxin." 
By a vote of twelve in favor, ncne opposed, and four abstentions, the RAC 
recommended the motion be accepted. Dr. Gottesman abstained. 
IX. PROPOSED EXCHANGER LIST FOR GRAM POSITIVE BACTERIA 
Dr. Gartland said this item (tab 1231) had not been published in the Federal 
Register for public comment. He said a RAC working group has been assembled 
to review the sublists of Appendix A pertaining to the gram positive Euba ca- 
tenates . A meeting of that working group has been scheduled for December 2, 
1985. 
Dr. Morris Levin of the EPA said the EPA Office of Toxic Substances had 
recently held a meeting dealing with microorganisms which exchange genetic 
information. A report on this meeting will soon be available. 
X. FUTURE MEETING DATES 
Dr. Gartland said the next RAC meeting is scheduled for January 27, 1986. 
Dr. Walters asked that RAC meetings be scheduled three meeting dates in 
advance so the Working Group on Human Gene Therapy could key its meetings 
to appropriate times prior to RAC meetings. Investigators planning to sub- 
mit gene therapy protocols could then be given deadlines for submitting 
materials . 
Dr. Gartland said on occasions in the past, RAC meetings were scheduled 
a year in advance, and it is possible to arrange meetings in that fashion. 
Dr. Walters suggested some portion of the next RAC meeting might be 
devoted to a "self-education process on gene therapy. " Issues that might 
be addressed include: the status of retroviral vectors; the best candidate 
diseases for gene therapy; and what is known at present about the effects 
of somatic-cell gene therapy on the germ line. 
XI. OTHER MATTERS 
Drs. Gottesman and Tolin enquired about the status of the Working Group on 
Release into the Environment. Dr. Talbot said that no proposals for release 
into the environment have recently been submitted to NIH. 
[ 410 ] 
