I. Introduction 
The purpose of this report is to recommend safeguards for research 
on recombinant DNA molecules to the National Institutes of Health and to 
other institutions that support such research. In this context we define 
recombinant DNAs as molecules that consist of different segments of DNA 
which have been joined together in cell -free systems, and which have the 
capacity to infect and replicate in some host cell, either autonomously 
or as an integrated part of the host's genome. 
The scientific achievements that have already been obtained through 
the use of recombinant DNAs and the obvious, immediate potentialities of 
this methodology indicate that we are in the initial phase of a process 
that promises to revolutionize both biological research and its practical 
applications. The unique feature of these new methods that makes them 
so useful is that they provide a means for combining genes from diverse 
organisms that do not normally exchange genetic information in nature. 
It is this same characteristic that has caused concern and speculation 
about the potential biohazards that may result from such novel recombinants 
( 1 - 3 ). 
This is the first attempt to provide a detailed set of guidelines 
for use by study sections as well as practicing scientists for evaluating 
research on recombinant DNA molecules. We cannot hope to anticipate all 
possible lines of imaginative research that are possible with this power- 
ful new methodology. Nevertheless, the Committee has received a considerable 
volure of written and verbal contributions from scientists in a variety of 
disciplines. In many instances the views presented to us were contradictory. 
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