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April 08, 1977 - Image 10

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
Michigan Daily, 1977-04-08

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

emULHEM1ICHIAN DAILY 1uy ~I3I ~I~

I luuy, ryl 11 0, 1.71 1

?

SEA
YOU COULDN'T
DEAL FROM]Z
Now Ponderosa has seafood dinners-
Filet of Sole for an enticing $2.19, Plum
prising combination of Steak and Sh
It only takes one bite to get hooked on
29

J
GET A BETTER
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-with prices to catch you. Tender
np golden-fried Shrimp and a sur-
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n Ponderosa seafood.
ENJOY OUR SALAD BAR1
.. @
sll.fu

Carter asks for new
research guidelines

DNA research history

(Continued from Page 1)
the making of organisms thatI
could gobble up oil spills.
Califano told the Senate health
and scientific research sub-
committee that in more than
three years of DNA experiments
there had been no known case
of creating a hazardous agent.
HE DESCRIBED as most re-
mote the possible creation of "a
kind of Andromeda Strain," a
runaway organism against
which man had no defenses.
But he added: "There is al-
ways ahdanger of something like
that. That's why we feel we
have to have such strict guide-
lines on research."
Califano stressed that the re-
search was probing the unknown
and until more information on
the kinds of risks became avail-
able, -strict safety conditions

were required.
HE SAID the legislation pro-
posed to regulate basic labora-
tory research to an unusual de-
gree but added, "There is no
reasonable alternative to regu-
lation under law."
The bill, introduced in the
Senate by subcommittee chair-
manrEdward Kennedy, would
require licensing of, facilities
producing or possessing recom-
binant DNA and inspection by
government inspectors.
It would also call for govern-
ment standards tobe issued for
the IYNA facilities, and fines
and imprisonment for violations.r
The Administration bill is one
of a number of DNA-related billsr
before Congress. It is described
as basically sound by the Phar-
maceutical Manufacturers As-;
sociation.

By LAURA LIEBLER
At the center of the recombinant DNA
controversy-often obscured by scientific,
legal and emotional rhetoric-is a chemical
compound and a technique for altering it.
The compound is called deoxyribonucleic
acid, DNA, and it controls the inherited
traits of all organisms from amoeba to hu-
mans. In 1973 researchers developed a way
to splice segments of DNA, called genes,
from the cell of one organism to another-
for example, from a toad cell to a bacterium.
With this gene-splicing technique, scientists
are able to create new life forms and to alter
the genes of existing organisms.
DNA TECHNOLOGY could produce great
benefits in the fields of biology, medicine
and agriculture. Researchers could conceiv-
ably develop methods for freeing humans
from genetic diseases such as sickle-cell ane-
mia; or for producing crop plants that could
use nitrogen in the air instead of nitrogen in
expensive fertilizers.
Gene-splicing techniques have already been
used to produce a bacterium to clean up oil
spills. A researcher at General Electric com-
bined genes from four different strains of
Pseudomonas putida bacteria-each of which
feeds on different components of oil-into one
strain.
Along with pollution-eating bacteria and
tther potential benefits, however, come pos-

sible hazards. Recombinant organisms might
escape from a laboratory and infect humans
with a new disease for which they have no
immunity. Or a new plant might flourish at
the expense of other plants, thereby upset-
ting the ecological balance in an area. Worse
yet, recombinant DNA techniques could be
used deliberately to produce virulent organ-
isms for use in biological warfare.
Scientists themselves in 1973 called to pub-
lic attention the hazards of recombinant DNA
work. In early 1975 scientists from around the
world gathered at the Asilomar Conference
Center in California to examine the question
of gene-splicing experiments.
At about the same time, University Vice
President for Research Charles Overberger
appointed a committee to investigate the eth-
ical and legal aspects of recombinant DNA
research. In May 1975 the Regents adopted
the committee's recommendation to continue
the research under the guidelines established
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
At present two University groups are in-
volved with seeing that the research com-
plies with the guidelines. One committee is
directing the installation of special equip-
ment in three laboratories to provide greater
security for moderate risk experiments. The
other is developing procedures to review
experiments, inspect laboratories and moni-
tor research according to specifications in
the national guidelines.

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U' group monitors research

THE DAILY CLASSIFIEDS

make
interesting

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Taste what
~TMOHAWK
adid to
Peppermint Schnapps.
Try the New
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PEPPER ;Ip

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read ing

(Continued from Page 1) 1
hearings specifically to discuss
recombinant DNA research, and
several bills now before Con-
gress propose restrictions for
the experiments that are more
stringent than those already in
Ieffect.
The issues legislators are nowl
discussing are variations of two
general questions that first be-
gan to plague University offi-
cials two years ago: should
scientists tamper with the basic
programming mechanisms of
life, and, if the research con-I
tinues how can recombinant or-
ganisms be prevented from in-
fecting humans?

.

scribe in detail the kinds of lab-:
oratory equipment, safety pro-
cedures and research organisms
that must be used to insure that
recombinant organisms are con-
tained in the laboratories. The
containment requirements vary
according to the risk level of the
experiment, and the Regents
prohibited the highest risk ex-
periments from being carried I
out at the University.
To insure that researchers
comply with NIH guidelines, the
Regents established the nine-
member Committete C to review
research proposals, inspect lab-
oratories and monitor on-going
experiments.
Committee C is required to:
"certify to NIH that the facili-
ties being used in an experiment.
are the ones that should be
used" to maintain the required
level of containment, says Fran-
cis Payne, chairman of the com-
mittee and professor of epidem-
iology.
THE CERTIFICATION pro-
cess begins with the researcher,
who must determine what levels
of physical and biological con-
tainment are necessary for his
or her experiment.
The guidelines specify four
levels of physical containment,
which describe required labora-
tory faciilties and safety pro-

After lengthy debate involving zedures. The levels range from
people from vastly different P1, which requires only the
fields, the Regents in May 1976 safely measures standard in any
voted to continue the research, open microbiology laboratory, to
but under guidelines established P4, which requires elaborate
by the National Institute of equipment such as air locks at
Health (NIH). laboratory entrances and chem-
T H E S E GUIDELINES de- ical showers for employes leav-

ing the research area.
The three levels of biological
containment describe the ability
of the research organisms to
survive outside the laboratory
environment.
COMMITTEE C has spent
most of its short life developing
efficient methods for reviewing
experiments.
After the researcher deter-
mines containment levels for his
experiment, Committee C mem-
bers must then inspect his lab-
oratory. In almost every case,
the research proposal then must
be approved by NIH.
WHILE THE Committee has
no specified power to punish vi-
olators of the guidelines, it has
"considerable authority" to en-
force the regulations indirectly,
Payne says.
"We affect the researcher's
ability to get (grant) money,"
he says. "I would suspect that
the investigator would be re-
sponsive to the committee's rec-
ommendations."
"The major responsibility for
any of this rests with the inves-
tigator," Payne says. "We have
to be careful that people don't
relax after a time. We need to
look for a mechanism to keep
people on their toes."
TOMORROW: LEGISLATION

SCHNA

Cool
green
colorn
r U
Taste
Sens--ation
Enjoy it
straigh t
or
over ice
60 PROOF,
BOTTLED BY MOHAWK LIQUEUR CORP
The "Cool One" Is On Campus! Cool Peppermint Schnapps
T-SHIRTS. .1.95

Tuna ban approved

By LINDA BRENNERS
University dorm, residents are
guaranteed head lettuce, but
they may not be able to use it
to garnish their tuna fish sand-
wiches.
Of the 830 students (about 10
per cent of the dorm population)
voting in the University Housing
Council (UHC) elections, two-
thirds voted to initiate a boy-
cott on yellow fin tuna and more
than half voted to end the boy-
cott on non-United Farm Work-

UNLIK
ballot on
this vote
Eric Ar
elections,
weighed
of studei
boycott:
between
and the,
head let
the only
vored the
tuce boy
"Thoug

er lettuce and grapes. not press
issue wa
' ZZVZV- zTI V '; e ;Vsaid. "Si
is a wor
Be the Easter Bunny lboe :bon
Betufin tuna.
with Homegrown staged t
40of porpos
fin tuna.
Albaco
replace t
AEASTEOR LILLIES $1300 per bloom
A wide assortment of blooming and foliage plants,
plus quality fresh flowers for in town or out of town -0
Udelivery. Rec
EASTER HOURS iE
S aCt.-8:30-6:00 0Exiton
Sun.-9:00-1 :00 DOU
~ f)p .~ Term
Ph
IIIULJLIEN 4~'
O
1021 MaID n er

CE AN earlier advisary
n the lettuce boycott,
e is binding on UHC.
nson, director of UHC
said that two factors
heavy in the decision
nts to discontinue the
the tentative agreement
UFW and teamsters
fact that dorms offer
tuce. East Quad was
dorm that clearly fa-
e continuation of the let-
cott.
gh the lettuce issue was
ed that much, the tuna
s quite salient," Arnson
tudents realize that it
thwhile cause and we'll
f the first universities
)rt a boycott of yellow
" The boycott will be
o protest the slaughter
ses in catching yellow
re 'white meat tuna may
he yellow fin.
irseback Riding
(NO GU IDES)
Hayrides-
c. Hall for rent
hr. South on RT 23
To Sameria
n M 151-East 5 min.
GLAS MEADOWS
RANCH
2755 M 151
perance, MI 48182
%. 313-856-3973

DNCE AGAIN,
THE
T-SHIRT
AAf''1TIkH

TT'y
At
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Ty
4'
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