9 
Mr. Mitchell extended his appreciation to the Working Group on Release into 
the Environment for the tremendous amount of time and effort expended on 
this difficult topic. 
Mr. Mitchell asked Dr. MoGarrity to report on planning for the national 
synposism on release of genetically modified organisms into the environment 
which Representative Albert Gore had asked the American Society for Micro- 
biology (ASM) to organize. Dr. McGarrity said the ASM is currently contacting 
other scientific societies to elicit help in planning the program. The ASM 
hopes to hold this meeting in the spring of 1985. 
IV. REPORT OF THE RISK ASSESSMENT SUBCOMMITTEE 
Dr. Gottesman said Assistant Secretary for Health Brandt has requested the 
RAC Risk Assessment Subcommittee to evaluate a series of questions involving 
recombinant DNA risk assessment (tab 1188). These questions originated 
in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (AS PE) 
of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS ) . Dr. Gottesman said 
she as Chair of the RAC Risk Assessment Subcommittee had polled subcommittee 
metrbers on the issues and had collated the responses in order to develop a 
draft response. The subcommittee met by telephone conference call on 
October 15, 1984, to evaluate this preliminary draft response. 
Dr. Gottesman said the first question in the ASPE memorandum asked whether 
the existence of transposable elements complicates the estimates of risk in 
the cloning of deleterious genes. She said the subcommittee agreed the 
existence of such elements was implicitly taken into account in experiments 
performed to estimate plasmid mobilization frequencies. 
Dr. Gottesman said the second question posed by the ASPE memorandum con- 
cerned the sensitivity of assays for plasmid transfer. She said the sub- 
committee felt many existing assays are extremely sensitive. 
Dr. Gottesman said the third question asked how the potential inpact of 
altered host range in deliberately released genetically engineered organisms 
could be assessed. Dr. Gottesman said the subcommittee recognizes host 
range is an important issue in evaluating whether to allow field tests of 
organisms containing recombinant DMA. The subcommittee did not, however, 
see any general approach which would help resolve that issue prior to 
evaluation of each proposal on a case-by-case basis. 
Dr. Gottesman said the fourth question asked whether the use of broad host 
range plasmids complicates risk assessment studies. The subcommittee 
agreed that if field testing of organisms containing broad host range 
plasmids is proposed, questions would be posed that may not have been asked 
in earlier risk assessment studies. 
Dr. Gottesman said the fifth question of the ASPE memorandum asked whether 
human "oncogenic retroviral plasmids" could be transferred to indigenous 
gut flora and pose risk for laboratory workers. Dr. Gottesman said the 
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