202 Vanderbilt Hall
Harvard Medical School
Boston 15, Massachusetts
December 1, 1960

Dr. Joshua Lederberg

Department of Genetics

Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford, California

Deer Dr. Lederberg:

I am writing to ask you about the possibility of obtaining a summer
research position in your laboratory. I am a sophomore at Harvard
Medical School with some experience in biochemical and bacteriological
research, and I would like to spend the coming summer investigating an
interesting problem in the field of immunology, bacteriology, and/or
virology--especially where these overlap in the study of the immune
defense mechanisms of the infected organism.

First, as to my background. I graduated with high honors in
Biochemical Sciences from Harvard College in 1958. During my senior
year I worked under Drs. James D. Watson and Alfred Tissieres on a
research project concerned with the ribonucleoprotein particle content
of E. coli. The experiments showed that the marked changes in the amount
of RNA present in extracts from cells in the various phases of growth
are paralleled by similar changes in the anount of RNP particles. This
work was published in a Short Communication to Biochim. Biophys. Acta,
23D» 248, 1959. During the following year I studied biochemistry under
Professor J. N. Davidson at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, on a
Fulbright Grant. As a result of this experience, I have had the oppor-
tunity to explore a number of research techniques including: paper and
column chromatographic separation of amino acids and nucleic acids,
tracer studies of protein synthesis in vivo and in vitro, analytical
ultracentrifugal study of subcellular components of bacteria, and work
on the amino acid requirements of a mouse fibroblast cell in tissue
culture. During the past year and a half, I have been especially
interested in the chemical regulatory mechanisms of the body, including
hormones, neurohumors, and more recently the immune mechanisms. Dr. Byron
Wakeman at Harvard Medical School has aided me in selecting reading into
the problem of antibody synthesis, and the related question of delayed
(cellular) hypersensitivity. During this time I have also tried to
keep up with the current research on RNA and DNA, especially in the
areas of genetic function and protein synthesis.

My plans for the future are to finish medical school, and then to
go into a career of teaching and research or practice and clinical
research. I feel that by working in a laboratory group which has
interests similar to yours, I would be able to gain a great deal of
experience in the fields that I am interested in. I know that three
months provides a very short time for me to plan and carry out an
independent project. Because of this, if you are able to offer me
a research grant, I would rather let you suggest a few topics which
would fit in with the current research in your laboratory. I have
followed with interest the articles recently published by Dr. Nossal
-2-

in the Brit. J. Exp. Path., and I would certainly be interested in
working with him on a related project if he will still be at Stanford
this summer. I am currently planning an experiment with Dr. Waksman
involving a passive transfer of labelled immunogenic cells from a
tuberculin sensitive animal to a normal one, with the hope of showing
that these labelled cells appear at the site of a tuberculin test in

the now passively immune animal. This type of experiment has been
hindered because of inability tc get sufficient tritium labelled-thymine
into the right immunogenic cells. There is a lack of information about
the typesof cells which are involved in the delayed hypersensitive
reaction, and when and where they are sensitized--i.e. problems similar
to those delt with in the case of antibody synthesis by Dr. Nossal.

But as I have said, I would be interested in working on any project
related to the fields I have discussed above,

I would be glad tosend you any further information you may require
in order to consider this request. I am sure that Dr. Watson, Dr. Tissieres,
Professor Davidson and Dr. Waksman would be glad to answer any questions
about me if you would like a letter of recommendation. I am looking
forward to hesring from you and I hope that I will have the opportunity of
working in your laboratory this summer. If you find that this is
impossible, I would certainly appreciate anv suggestions of other
research positions which would be available in these fields.

Sincergly,
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