the Committee on Genetic Experimentation (COGENE) in October 1976 under 
the chairmanship of Professor William J. Whelan. COGENE is an interna- 
tional, nongovernmental scientific committee with the following 
objectives : 
• advising governmental and nongovernmental bodies; 
• assembling, reviewing, and making available information on safe- 
guards, containment facilities, and other technical matters; 
• fostering opportunities for the training and international 
exchange of workers in the field; 
• serving as a medium through which the many regional, national, and 
international bodies with interests in recombinant DNA research 
may communicate; and 
• promoting the harmonization of guidelines throughout the world. 
Some of the potential activities of COGENE include (1) the con- 
ducting of risk-assessment experiments, (2) the examination of the large- 
scale use of this technology by industry, (3) the supporting of lectures 
and training courses on safety techniques, and (4) the investigation of 
the possibility of providing ICSU support for a facility to construct 
and maintain large cultures of cloned DNA fragments. 
COGENE comprises 14 members representing 8 nations, including the 
United States, United Kingdom, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, 
France, Japan, India, Switzerland, and the German Federal Republic. In 
addition, four intergovernmental organizations have appointed observers — 
WHO, UNESCO, UNEP, and FAO . 
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