8 
Professor Walter Rosenblith is Provost of Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology, and as an engineer and a life scientist he bridges the gaps 
that are represented by the problem we are talking about today. 
Dr. Roy Hudson is the President of the Hampton Institute in Hampton, 
Virginia. He is a neuropharmacologist, by persuasion. 
Next to him is Dr. Leon Jacobs, who is Associate Director for Colla- 
borative Research at NIH. 
On my right is Dr. Stetten, Deputy Director for Science at NIH, and 
the Chairman of the NIH Recombinant DNA Molecule Program Advisory Commit- 
tee, which is the reason that we are all here today. 
Good morning. Judge Bazelon. Judge David Bazelon, who is Chief Judge 
of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Cir- 
cuit, and Dr. Philip Handler, who is President of the National Academy of 
Sciences and still a Professor of Biochemistry. Good morning, gentlemen. 
I think we are in full complement, and therefore ready to go. 
Now, the purpose of this meeting is to seek your advice on proposed 
guidelines setting conditions for the conduct of certain experiments with 
recombinant DNA molecules. This involves the introduction of foreign genes 
into bacteria. We know that the promise of this research is held to be 
extraordinary, not only in terms of possibly opening up better knowledge of 
the expression of genes in cells, but also possibly moving on to the pro- 
duction of human products that are useful for the treatment of certain 
diseases, and also there is held forth a great promise of possible changes 
in agricultural technology. 
There is also a potential risk, that microorganisms with transplanted 
genes might escape from the laboratory and infect human beings or animals, 
and alter the environment, and be dangerous and difficult to control. 
Recombinant DNA research brings to the fore problems of public scrutiny 
of the process and the progress of basic science. That is why we are here 
today. These experiments are extremely technical, and they are complex, 
and as I am sure you members of the committee are aware from reading the 
materials that were sent to you, this is a rapidly moving field, and on the 
very leading edge of biological science. 
Molecular biologists in this research area have trouble enough keeping 
abreast of the newest developments, and it is no surprise that scientists 
in other fields and the general public have difficulty in understanding the 
advances in recombinant research. 
[ 149 ] 
