December 7, 1982 
COMMENTS ON REVISED GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING 
RECOMBINANT DNA MOLECULES 
1. We have no problems with the revised Guidelines except 
to become more familiar with the new arrangement of the 
material . 
2. We do not find anything taking a large or inappropriate 
amount of time. 
3. We have not found any areas of disagreement with the RAC 
in regard to containment. The committee has determined 
that certain biosafety levels may be appropriate for the 
infectious or oncogenic agents used when the recombinant 
DNA experiment requires only a PI level. We have no 
problem in explaining our requirements to the investiga- 
tor. 
4. We do not find the Guidelines too stringent or too relaxed, 
but rather consider the Guidelines as a consensus of the 
opinions of experts in the field. Our committee feels that 
a survey of our own members for determination of those 
guidelines which might be considered too stringent or too 
relaxed would result in a similar consensus of opinion. 
5. Our committee meets on a monthly basis as a working sub- 
committee whenever necessary, and on an annual basis as 
a full committee. 
6. Our committee has been reorganized to deal only with 
recombinant DNA, although we are frequently concerned with 
the problems of infectious and oncogenic agents which are 
used in recombinant DNA research. We are no longer a 
general biosafety committee because our institution has 
chosen to function this way. 
Diane 0. Fleming, Ph.D. 
Biosafety Officer 
Executive Secretary, Recombinant 
DNA Committee 
The Johns Hopkins Institutions 
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