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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES 
MEMORANDUM 
Received in ORDA 11/14/82 
Public Health Service 
National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda, Maryland 20205 
N. C. Mishra, 
Department of Biology 
University of South Carolina 
Columbia, S. C. 29208 
TO: Chairperson, Institutional Biosafety Canmittee 
FROM: Director, Office of Recombinant DbA Activities, NIH 
SUBJECT: Solicitation of Comments on Revised Guidelines for 
Research Involving Recombinant Dt& Molecules 
At the June meeting of the Recombinant ENA Advisory Committee (RAC) , it was 
recommended that a letter be sent to Institutional Biosafety Committees ( IBCs) 
to solicit information as to how IBCs are functioning under the NIH Guidelines 
for Research Involving Recombinant DI^ Molecules as revised during 1982. 
It was suggested that IBCs might wish to provide information on areas of 
concern, including the following: 
o Vfaat are the problems with the revised Guidelines? 9 
o What things are taking large amounts of time? $ 
o What things are taking inappropriate amounts of time? 
00- 
^ o In what areas do you disagree with the RAC with regard to containment 
for a particular experiment u ' f tIK4 
“Wo pc*4<. —-4 xWoJc/C yu* he dUtortU tonivt ^ , , 
o In wnat ways are the Guidelines too stringent or too relaxed? J'U-aT AcjAX 
o How frequently does your IBC meet? oJtUo^X 7 yto-( 
o Does your IBC have other responsibilities at your institution? Is it 
a general biosafety committee? If not, is it because of the way in 
which the NIH Guidelines are written, or is it because your institution 
has chosen to function this way? aa, u/c <Unr*U~ 
li*Q U D/fa\U*>rcA- /(J). — ( w 
NIH and the RAC would appreciate your cooperation in providing canments on 
these and other issues which are of concern to your IBC. Please send your 
comments to me at the Office of Recombinant ENA Activities, Building 31, cA*****^ 
Room 4A52, Bethesda, Maryland 20205. It would be helpful to have your comments * 
by January 31, 1983. Your comments will be reviewed by a RAC Working Group on 
Revision of the Guidelines which has been charged with periodic review and 
updating of the Guidelines. 
7/*/rv 
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