6724 Tovme Lane Court 
McLean, Virginia 22101 
29 September 1976 
Dr. Donald S. Fredrickson 
Director 
National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda, Maryland 20014 
Dear Dr. Fredrickson: 
In response to your letter of August 27 on NIH patent policy for 
DNA recombinant research, it seems to me that patenting is preferable 
to no patenting, especially if the patent policy can be used to broaden 
compliance with the NIH guidelines on DNA recombinant research. 
Unfortunately, I have no experience with patents, nor do I have 
knowledge of patent law, therefore, my comments are necessarily very 
limited. 
Thank you for the opportunity to convey my thoughts to you on this 
most Important matter. 
Sincerely , 
Elena 0. Nightingale, M.D., Ph.D. 
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