Veritas, Vol. 17, No. 12, November 13, 1976

              ünhrersïtjt
Archivs^
with New Program
UM Seeks
President Henry King Stanford has announced the establishment of the Inter-American Program of Technology Transfer and Training and the appointment of Dr. Albert Castro, associate professor of pathology, Medicine, as program committee coordinator.
The purpose of the program, Dr. Stanford said, is to develop collaborative programs for technology transfer and training with governmental agencies, universities, institutes and corporations of South and Central American and Caribbean countries.
“The technological and educational capabilities available,’* he said, “aligned with the bilingual composition of our
The department of biochemistry, School of Medicine, and the Papanicolaou Cancer Research Institute will sponsor the Ninth Annual Miami Winter Symposia Jan. 10-14 on the topic “Genetic Engineering : Basic Research and Its Application to the Cancer Problem.”
Dr. W.J. Whelan, chairman, biochemistry, prepared the following introduction to the subject of genetic engineering, the controversy surrounding this type of research and the positions taken in this controversy by the conference’s key speakers and other of the nation’s leading scientists.
Registration information follows Dr. Whelan's article.
Since the time of Darwin, man has been a concerned and fascinated observer of natural selection. Now he can take part in it.
New biochemical techniques make it possible to carry out “mating” between two species outside the living cell, species so vastly different that normal exchange of genetic information is considered impossible. One obtains the species’ hereditary material (DNA), splits it with enzymes and then rejoins selected pieces. On being re-introduced into a cell, the hybrid DNA now expresses the functions derived from its parent DNA molecules. A new form of life has been created.
To quote Paul Berg, “a potential benefit of the research that captured the imagination of scientists and laymen alike was the notion of ‘genetic engineering’— the directed modification, or even construction, of new kinds of genetic constitutions for animals, plants and eventually
Latin Ties
faculty, student body and community as well as our geographic position as the ‘gateway to the Americas,’ emphasize the unique suitability of the University of Miami for such interactions.”
Areas of mutual interest to the University and participating institutions which have been identified for initial development include: urban and regional planning, management technology, coastal and estuarine resources management, human resources development and public health and welfare programs.
Implementation of the program, Dr. Stanford said, is seen as proceeding in several ways: through concurrent research and development projects at UM and complementary Latin American in-
man. But partly because of the exaggerated and misleading claims of the popular press, and of scientists and laymen as well, the words genetic engineering evoke concern as well as excitement.”
The excitement stems from the possibilities of being able to analyze the molecular basis of gene expression and heredity in higher organisms and eventually to create new organisms with desired genetic characters.
In the field of medicine this new technology opens up the possibility of dealing effectively with genetic disease, and of using bacteria to synthesize molecules of medical importance, for example human hormones and antibodies. The synthesis of human insulin, using yeast as the “parent,” has already been claimed. In agriculture we see the possibility of transferring to crop plants the genes of micro-organisms which cause the fixation of nitrogen. In industry we see the possibility of creating microorganisms specifically designed to synthesize food protein, and other important natural products.
The concern stems from the fact that at present we are not able to predict in detail the behavior of new forms of life, which are essentially hybrids between species that do not normally exchange genetic information.
At this early stage of the research one has to write of potential benefits and potential risks and hazards. There have so far been no proven practical benefits and no demonstrable, uncontrollable hazards. But because of the potential risks, the battlelines have been drawn and scarcely
stitutions, on-site assistance by UM in the development of a process or program in Latin America, establishment of educational programs at UM and in Latin America for senior and middle management Latin American personnel, faculty exchange and, eventually, graduate programs at UM in traditional or new areas.
Many projects under consideration will qualify for financial assistance from agencies such as the Organization of American States and the World Health Organization, Dr. Stanford said, adding that a “modest budget to move the program forward is being established in the Office of the Provost.”
a week passes but that we read, hear or see the controversy debated in the media.
Recombinant DNA is described, by some of the people who construct these molecules, as a chimera, a word that the opposition has seized on, in that in mythology the chimera was an animal with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpent. The word has come to mean a horrible, frightening and fantastic combination of incongruous parts (Webster).
This, of course, is how some people, and eminent scientists at that, view the prospects for genetic engineering. George Wald has called it “probably the largest ethical problem that science has ever had to face.” Robert Sinsheimer—a powerful advocate for caution and for putting a rein on unbridled inquiry—has pronounced the new technology an accomplishment as significant as the splitting of the atom, going on to say: “I do fear there are potentially grievous risks.”
Erwin Chargaff points out that the bacterium the genetic engineers prefer to use ( E. coli) is an inhabitant of the human
The Inter-American Program will be developed initially under a committee chaired by Dr. Castro, with the following appointed members:
Rafael Benitez, Law.
Gary Greenan, Engineering and Environmental Design.
Felipe Prestamo, Engineering and Environmental Design.
Richard Robins, RSMAS.
Bennett Sallman, Medicine.
William Scott, Medicine.
Rodney Stiefbold, Business Administration.
William Swart, Business Administration.
For further information, contact Dr. Castro, 547-6508, or any committee member.
W. J. Whelan
gut, and calls the use of this organism a “cardinal folly. .. Once you have created a new species of E. coli it will survive you and your children and your children’s children. An irreversible attack on the biosphere is something so unheard of, so unthinkable to previous generations, that I could only wish that mine had not been guilty of it.”
Happy Holidays!
This is the last Veritas before the holidays.. Publication resumes with the Jan. 17 issue
Continued on Page 2
Holiday Schedule
A Message from President Stanford
I wish to clarify the working arrangement for the day before Christmas. To be as fair to employees as possible, I am requesting that all segments of the University follow the traditional procedure we have been using over the past several years. That is, offices will remain open until 3 pm., but individuals are permitted to visit if the work permits, beginning after their lunch period.
I believe that this allows us to enjoy the spirit of the holiday season, renew or develop friendships, while still maintaining necessary services. I hope that such services can be shared as evenly among our employees as is possible, in a spirit of mutual cooperation befitting the holiday season.
ä- S
«Ô =- =s
I E S
1	5- I
5. ■ 5 — - —
2	^ -T*
Non-Prof* O^gonuotion U S POSTAGE
PAID
Mtomi, Florida PERMIT No 438
For Official Use Only
Symposia Focus on	Work