UNIVERSITY of PENNSYLVANIA 
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN GENETICS 
Roy D. Schmickel, M.D. 
Chairman 
215 - 898-3582 
The School of Medicine /G3 
37th and Hamilton Walk 
October 2, 1984 Philadelphia, PA 19104 
Dr. William Gartland 
Executive Secretary, RAC 
National Institute of Allergy 
and Infectious Diseases 
National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda, MD 20205 
Dear Dr. Gartland: 
I am writing in response to the request from Dr. Jeremy Rif kin to 
place an amendment to the NIH guidelines for Recombinant DNA Experi- 
mentation. 
I am concerned that any regulation which would proscribe the study of 
particular forms of gene expression would greatly limit our ability to 
design experiments necessary for health research. The ability to transfer 
genes from one organism to another has been the basis of some of the most 
dramatic advances in science. Somatic cell hybrids are used routinely to 
increase our knowledge of the human genetic map. To date, the the somatic 
cell hybrids are also one of the most efficient ways to isolate particular 
chromosomes or parts of chromosomes. By such means in somatic cells, the 
actions of genes can be observed at the cellular level. The transfer of 
genes to germ cells permits the observation of genes at the organismal and 
embryological level. This research promises to help us to solve the 
diseases and misfortunes of hormonal imbalance and birth defects. 
The use of interspecies constructs has proven to be extremely useful 
and permits a careful analysis of small differences between species. The 
work by Ralph Brinster here at the University of Pennsylvania has been 
extraordinary in its productivity and represents one of the most fruitful 
avenues of investigation of hormone action. Only when a gene is injected 
into germ cells can the effect of the gene be seen in an entire organism, 
and only when a human gene has been injected into another mammal can we 
ethically study the embryological action of a human gene. When we con- 
sider the enormous number of diseases that are caused by hormonal defi- 
ciencies or abnormalities, it is imperative that we continue this type of 
study of hormonal genes. It is not difficult to look ahead slightly to 
see the enormous impact that such experiments will have in helping us 
understand ways to prevent developmental birth defects. 
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