(9) Concurring with this judgment, the RAC and its working group are prepared 
to consider for approval somatic-cell therapy protocols, pro/ided that the 
design of such experiments offers adequate assurance that their consequences 
will not go beyond their purpose , which is the same as the traditional purpose 
of all clinical investigations, namely, to benefit the health and well-being 
of the individual being treated v^iile at the same time gathering general - 
izable knowledge. 
(10) Two possible undesirable consequences of somatic-cell therapy would be 
unintentional (1) vertical transmission of genetic changes from an individual 
to his or her offspring or (2) horizontal transmission of viral infection 
to other persons with whom the individual cones in contact. Accordingly, 
this document requests information that will enable the RAC and its working 
group to assess the likelihood that the proposed somatic-cell gene therapy 
will inadvertently affect reproductive cells or lead to infection of 
other people (e.g., treatment personnel or relatives). 
(11) In recognition of the social concern that surrounds the general discussion 
of human gene therapy, the working group will continue to consider the 
possible long-range effects of applying knowledge gained frcm these and 
related experiments. While research in molecular biology could lead to 
the development of techniques for geon line intervention or for the use 
of genetic means to enhance human capabilities rather than to correct 
defects in patients, the working group does not believe that these effects 
will follow immediately or inevitably frcm experiments with scrotic-cell 
gene therapy. The working group will cooperate with other groups in 
assessing the possible long-term consequences of scma tic-cell gene therapy 
Recombinant DNA Research, Volume 1 1 
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