- 6 - 
Y I ELDS OF EXISTING ANTIBIOTICS MUCH IN THE SAME WAY NOW EMPLOYED IN 
THE USE OF MUTANT STRAINS. THE APPLICATION OF THIS TECHNOLOGY TO 
BASIC RESEARCH OF THE DISEASE PROCESS - MORE SPECIFICALLY TO. 
GENETICALLY INDUCED OR ASSOCIATED DISEASE - OFFERS GREAT PROMISE, 
The potential risks of recombinant BN A research and its commercial 
APPLICATION ARE WELL RECOGNIZED. IT IS PERHAPS UNFORTUNATE THAT THE 
TERM HAS BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH "GENETIC ENGINEERING", 
A CONCEPT WHICH IS MOST FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE MANIPULATION 
OF HUMAN GENETICS OR WITH THE DELIBERATE CREATION OF HIGHLY TOXIC 
OR VIRULENT NEW SPECIES OF PLANT AND ANIMAL CELLS. It IS IMPORTANT, 
WE BELIEVE, TO EMPHASIZE THAT THE PRESENT STATE OF THE ART AND THE 
PROVISIONS OF THE NIH GUIDELINES MILITATE AGAINST RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT THAT WOULD POSE SUCH A THREAT TO SOCIETY. 
IN THE CASE OF THE DRUG INDUSTRY, IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT 
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WOULD INVOLVE ORGANISMS IN CLASSES 3, 4 AND 5 
AS ESTABLISHED BY THE OFFICE OF BIOSAFETY OF THE CENTER FOR 
Disease Control of the U. S. Public Health Service in its publication 
ENTITLED "CLASSIFICATION OF ETIOLOGIC AGENTS ON THE BASIS OF HAZARD" 
OR THAT ADEQUATE BIOLOGICAL CONTAINMENT PROCEDURES WOULD NOT BE 
AVAILABLE FOR EK“1 AND EK**2 HOST VECTOR SYSTEMS. MANY OF OUR MEMBER 
FIRMS NOW ROUTINELY USE P“i AND P“2 PHYSICAL CONTAINMENT FACILITIES 
IN THEIR RESEARCH OPERATIONS AND IT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO FIND FACILITIES 
IN THE DRUG INDUSTRY THAT CORRESPOND VERY CLOSELY TO THE SPECIFICATIONS 
FOR P-3 LEVELS OF CONTAINMENT. At LEAST ONE OF OUR FIRMS IS NOW 
CONSTRUCTING A P"4 FACILITY. 
[ 114 ] 
