THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN 
MEDICAL SCHOOL 
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN GENETIC* 
1137 C CATHERINE STREET 
ANN ARBOR. MICHIGAN 
4 * 10 * 
TELEPHONE! 
ANN ARBOR. 7*4 3410 
September 24, 1976 
Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson 
Director, National Institutes of Health 
U.S. Public Health Service 
Bethesda, Maryland 20014 
Dear Don: 
This is in response to the recent letter soliciting a 
viewpoint on the matter of patenting procedures related to 
the production of recombinant DNA. 
As you are undoubtedly aware, given the financial 
stringencies that are upon us, many universities are 
encouraging their faculty to give increased consideration to 
the question of whether some of their discoveries have 
patentable aspects, with the thought that the university as 
well as the investigator might well share in any financial 
returns. Given these added pressures plus the present 
provisions for patents, so well described in your letter, I 
believe that any attempt to exempt the technology of 
recombinant DNA research from the accepted procedures would 
raise more problems than it would solve. 
I agree with the implications of your letter that this 
may be a particularly sticky area for patents but see no way 
to turn the clock back on this. 
Sincerely yours 
of Human Genetics 
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