UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON 
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL Department of Biochemistry 
AND LIFE SCIENCES 420 Henry Mall 
|H| 
Madison, Wisconsin 53706 USA 
Telephone: 608/262-3026/262-3040 
April 19, 1978 
Dr. Donald Frederickson, Director 
National Institute of Health 
Building 1, Room 124 
Bethesda, MD 20014 
Dear Dr. Frederickson: 
I have just returned from an international scientific meeting on plasmids 
in West Berlin. A number of U.S. scientists were invited to present their 
work at the meeting, which was funded by the European Molecular Biology 
Organization and the German Government. 
The technology and applications of recombinant DNA research formed a 
significant part of the conference, and it became apparent that our European 
colleagues have made substantial advances usirg this technology. Although the 
basic scientific discoveries leading to the successful application of recombinant 
DNA methods to biology were made in U.S. laboratories, European scientists are 
applying these methods without serious restrictions to a wide variety of problems. 
Thus, we learned of advances in the use of the recombinant DNA in studies of 
the synthesis of antibiotics and in studies of the metabolism of plant cells, for 
example, that could well lead to important developments in the production of new 
antibiotics and in the production of new and better foodstuffs . I say "without 
serious restrictions" because most European countries have much less stringent 
laws regulating recombinant DNA research. 
In my own case, for example, we have made a number of discoveries that might 
be applied to the improvement of new and existing antibiotics. I would like to 
use recombinant technology to extend these studies, but I cannot. I do not have 
the facilities to do the necessary experiments according to the existing NIH 
regulations, and it would take a long time and much money (not available on my 
current grants) to obtain these facilties. The simplest solution, of course, 
would be to go and do the experiments in Europe. 
Thus, I am writing to ask you to consider, very seriously, the effects that 
strict legislation of recombinant DNA research will have on many aspects of 
biological science in this country. We are already falling behind our European 
colleagues in many respects. German, Belgian, and British industry are setting 
up laboratories to pursue the application of recombinant DNA techniques to in- 
dustrial problems. In my experience, I know of no U.S. pharmaceutical company 
that is committing the same kind of effort . It was pointed out at the conference 
that the Russian Government is to make a substantial investment into recombinant 
DNA research. Incidentally, several of the Russian scientists involved in this 
development received their training in U.S. laboratories. 
[AppendiH A — 282] 
