Dr. Ruth L. Kirschstein 
NIH 
Bethesda, Maryland 
April 9, 1976 
- 2 - 
The value of such a facility depends on the imagination of its director 
and on the type of physical plant available. We suggest that NIGMS explore 
the possibility of encouraging the submission of proposals for the establishment 
of a national center for the storage, replication, and characterization of 
human and mammalian DNA clones. The center might take advantage of existing 
federally owned high risk containment facilities, or it might be an integral 
part of a facility planned by a university. The director of the facility 
ought to consider the opportunity the facility would provide for research as 
well as for its service function, and might want to consider an ambitious 
venture with several sections. 
The opportunity for starting this type of DNA center at this early stage 
of a completely new episode in genetics seems to this committee to be too 
important to be missed. We would urge that some effort be directed towards 
exploring the utility and mechanics of such an endeavor and exploring other 
activities that might be logically associated with it. Obviously the 
deliberations and recommendations of the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee 
will bear heavily on such considerations and the impact and advise of members 
of this committee would be extremely valuable. One would suggest, however, 
that any exploration of this suggestion include representation from this 
advisory committee as well as other organizations with overlapping interests 
(e.g. NCI and NIAID) . 
Sincerely, 
FHRrmr Frank H. Ruddle 
Professor of Biology 
and Human Genetics 
Dictated by 
but signed in his absence 
[ 520 ] 
