Director 
Office of Recombinant DNA Activities 
October 24, 1984 
Page 2 
There exist natural vectors that exchange DNA between species, the viruses. 
Lewis Thomas in his book. The Lives of a_ Cell (1974) , addresses this issue of 
viruses as mobile genes dragging along pieces of genome and current research 
unequivocally demonstrates this point. The only difference between this natural 
mixing of genomes and the introduction of specific genes is that the latter is 
more directed. 
We feel that the proposed amendment lacks scientific validity and therefore 
should not be approved. 
Sincerely yours, 
John Gearhart, Ph.D. 
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, 
Gynecology and Obstetrics, Cell 
Biology and Anatomy 
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Scholar in 
Mental Retardation 
Mary Lou Oster-Granite, Ph.D. 
Associate Professor of Pediatrics 
and Neuroscience 
JG;MLOG/pb 
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