CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF 
TECHNOLOGY 
PAIAOCNA. CALIFORNIA OlltS 
OlV1»iON O* aiOLOOV 
October 28, 1976 
Dr. A. Karin Ahned 
Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. 
15 West Mth Street 
Nev York, New York 10036 
Dear Dr. Ahned: 
I an pleased to support the petition of the Er.vironnental Defense Fund 
and the National Resources Defense Council to the Secretary of Health, 
Education and Welfare concerning reconbinant DITA activities. This petition 
has two components: the first requests the Secretary to promulgate interim 
regulations to sake the present NIH Guidelines concerning recombinant DNA 
research binding on all parties engaged in recombinant DNA research in the 
United States. The second requests the Secretary to conduct a "legislative- 
type" hearing to obtain very broadly based testimony vhich might guide a 
reformulation of the present recombinant DNA Guidelines, taking into 
consideration issues not addressed and points of viev not presented during 
their development. 
The Guidelines have been developed out of the concept that there is a 
potential hazard to public health in certain forms of recombinant DNA 
research. It is evident that this hazard is not restricted to recombinant 
DBA research conducted with the aid of NIH (or other Federal) funds. 
1 therefore support their extension to cover all research activity in this 
field, however supported and wherever performed. This research does not 
require elaborate facilities and large capital investment. There is, 
therefore, no reason to believe that it will be limited to large institutions 
or industrial concerns with proven records of responsibility. Further, the 
virtual certainty of the development of new techniques and of the extension 
of these techniques to additional organisms and higher life forms will require 
a free flow of information, a continuing updating of guidelines, and the 
continuing scrutiny of this field of research by a body which will endeavor 
to reflect the public interest. 
The need to consider the reformulation of the Guidelines derives from the 
perception that they were developed from too narrow a perspective. In my 
opinion the Guidelines were developed to address solely the immediate medical 
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