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clearly this morning. There is good evidence that prokaryote gene seg- 
ments will replicate and translate in other prokaryotes of other species. 
I think probably that with this information the rules that have — the 
guidelines that have been written are pretty realistic and will suffice 
as temporary rules, so to speak, for conducting research in this area. 
On the other hand, of course, there is the question of whether 
eukaryotic gene segments are translated in any of the systems. It re- 
mains unknown, although it looks like there are some suggestions of 
positive data. And I wonder if, on the basis of this, it might not be 
feasible to consider issuing guidelines in pieces, that is, as informa- 
tion is available, and is met with some confidence by the entire community 
that you issue that, and that you hold off, which essentially is now, with 
the requirement for EK2. You would hold off the eukaryote experiments 
until some of the risk has been ascertained. 
Now, I realize that if you don't have the guidelines, who is going 
to run the experiments to determine the risk? That, of course, comes 
right back to NIH. And I think this will be a very difficult decision to 
make — that is, should you allow NIH to run the time requirement, et cetera, 
without guidelines, any internal guidelines, and then be able to write 
better prescriptions for these areas, unknown areas? Or, do you write a 
set of guidelines now in these unknown areas so that you can let the infor- 
mation out on contract and get more participation of the expertise? 
I think that is a very difficult decision, but if anything, at this 
point, I think to let the NIH do it with the advice and expertise of all 
the people in the area to design the critical experiments. 
Again, I mean, I am not a nucleic acid chemist, and I don't feel 
that my advice on whether it is EK2 or EK3 or something is really worth 
concern. 
I do think that despite all the rules you make, the image is important, 
and even to scientists the image is important. I would hope that out of 
this can come an image of responsibility — I am sure it will — but also an 
image of fair play, and that means to me, anyway, not just fair play on who 
gets the grant money and this sort of thing, but also a realization that 
every time you put in rules and regulations it costs money, and this means 
that already you start an elitist system, because there are institutions 
who have more money, and there are scientists who get more money, and there 
are groups that can set up facilities, and there may be a single investi- 
gator at the University of Kansas who has no one to do this and no one to 
support a biohazard thing. 
I would hope that somehow in arranging these facilities and the rules 
you might take a leaf from a physicist who did it in the atomic energy 
installations after World War II, and make some shared facilities, for 
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