THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS 
HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT DALLAS 
CHARLES C. SPRAGUE, M.D. 
HKSIOtNT 
SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL SCHOOL 
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF BIOMEDICAL SCJENI 
SCHOOL OF ALUED HEALTH SCIENCES 
November 1, 1976 
Donald S. Frederickson 
Director 
National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda , MD 20014 
Dear Don: 
I am very sorry for the long delay in responding to your 
letter requesting the opinions and views of a number of 
persons as related to the patent applications in the area of 
recombinant DNA research. 
I have discussed this matter with several of the people 
here, and although none of them have the feeling that we are 
on solid ground, nonetheless there seems to be remarkable 
unanimity of opinion that institutions should be discouraged 
from filing patent applications on inventions arising from 
recombinant DNA research, and that information regarding 
such research should be exchanged as rapidly as possible 
among scientists in the field. I question whether the 
Department of HEW's present policy of allocating invention 
rights is really consonant with the public and scientific 
concerns regarding this particular area of research. I 
realize this is a most difficult position to arrive at a 
totally satisfactory defense, but nonetheless I am giving 
the benefit of not only my own opinion, but one that is 
shared by the vast majority of the faculty with whom I have 
discussed the matter. 
Charles C. Sprague, M.D. 
President 
ccs : db 
[151] 
5323 HARRY HINES BLVD DALLAS. TEXAS 75235 (214)6883601 
