INTERAGENCY COMMITTEE ON RECOMBINANT DNA RESEARCH 
Summary Minutes of Meeting 
November 4, 1976 
Bethesda, Maryland 
The initial meeting of the Interagency Committee on Recombinant 
DNA Research was convened at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
on November fourth and was chaired by Dr. Donald Fredrickson, Director 
of the NIH. This was the first in a series of meetings designed to 
result in a report to the President by mid or late January. 
The first half of the meeting was devoted to a review of the 
NIH guidelines on recombinant DNA research by Dr. Fredrickson and his 
staff. The topics covered during this review included: the chronology 
of events leading to the formulation of the NIH guidelines and the 
creation of the Interagency Committee; a brief summary of the substance 
of the guidelines; a delineation of the roles and responsibilities of 
those involved in recombinant DNA research; the question of patenting 
certain inventions resulting from recombinant DNA research; and, a 
discussion of recombinant DNA research activities abroad with special 
emphasis placed on the guidelines developed in the United Kingdom. 
The second half of the meeting was initiated by Dr. Fredrickson 
with a review of the mandate of the Committee: to review the nature 
and scope of recombinant DNA research in both the public and private 
sectors; to determine the applicability of the NIH guidelines to 
govern such research; and, to recommend legislative or executive 
action needed to insure compliance with the standards as set. 
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