UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO 
BERKELEY • DAVIS • IRVINE • LOS ANGELES • RIVERSIDE • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO 
SANTA BARBARA • SANTA CRUZ 
FRANCIS A. SOOY, M.D. 
Chancellor 
Office of the Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs 
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94143 
SHIRLEY CHATER 
Vice Chancellor, Academic Affairs 
February 1, 1982 
Dr. William Gartland, Director 
Office of Recombinant DNA Activities 
National Institutes of Health 
Building 31, Room 4A52 
Bethesda, Maryland 20205 
Dear Dr, Gartland: 
RE: Proposed Recombinant DNA Guideline modifications 
The UCSF Biosafety Committee has forwarded their comments to me 
concerning the several recombinant DNA guideline proposals being 
considered. As the Institutional Officer responsible for Biosafety 
issues on this campus, I am thus writing to you with this campus' 
opinion . 
The Biosafety Committee acknowledged that the risk potential is 
viewed as being far less that originally thought. They thus applaud 
the containment downgrading proposed. As they feel that risk remains, 
they also endorse the restrictions that remain. 
The important question is whether controls should be meuidatory 
or voluntary. The Biosafety Committee feels strongly that whatever 
the federal action will be, every institution should maintain a strong 
review board. For reasons of consistency throughout the scientific 
world and across state lines and to forestall possible state 
legislative activities, it was agreed that mandatory controls would be 
preferable. In addition, the community members commented that "in an 
era when science is suspect in the community, evidence of 
institutional review is most important," 
For the above reasons, the University of California, San 
Francisco endorses mandatory reviews as described in the "Gottesmeui 
Proposal" published on December 7, 1971. 
Sincerely, 
Vice Chancellor 
Academic Affairs 
EH 
CC: Belle Cole 
Karl Hittelman 
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