June 6, 1973

 

Dr. Richard S. Young
National Aeronautics and Soace Administration
Washington, D.C. 20546

Dear Dick,
You will shortly be getting the 1972 Summary Report on NGR 05-020-004,

Actually, as you know a great deal of our time has been occupied
with preparing proposals to help assure the continuity of our work.

Right now the critical decisions relate to the success of two
major proposals, SUMEX-DENDRAL and The Geneties Research Center. The
former will be reviewed by the Biotechnology/ Resources Council later
on this month and questions about funding may be decided in Bill Raub's
office before the end of June or July. There are many, many complexities
about this that make it ddfficult to predict what the outcomewtill be.
Actually, the SUMEX proposal, or the part of it that stands much chance
of being approved, is more relevant to the continuity of what we had
called our ACME program than it 1s for the NASA supported work, although
the two are interdigitates to a considerable degree.

Our main ace in the vaole is the Genetics Research Center peeposal
which we have drastically revised for the June l deadline from a version
that was submitted in February but withdrawn on fiscal as well as
scientific advice. I am sending you the original version which did not
really differ too much in respect to the central project from the one
that is in the works now, and I will send you @ copy of that when we get
more copies from the printing office. This will be given its definitive
review in November and it also faces larger fiscal problems as well as
the hurdle of scientific review which, as you know, tends to be rather
critical of large projects at a time when everyone is being decimated.
However, we have some grounds for optimism that we will get at least
some funding from that source,thaghI will be amazed if it is enough to
cover the full costs of continuity of the existing effort. On the other
hand, it has been a very exciting development to see the ways in which
important clinical applications are now emerging from our analytical
methodology and we have a firm commitment to proceed along these lines'
at what ever level of funding we can possibly get. I am also looking out
to private foundations to see what might be discovered by way of a wind-
fall there.

The net of all of this is that we are working overtime to try to
be able to survive without being a continuing drain from your own well,
being fully cognizant of the problems at that end. We do not have clear
answers yet as to where we are going to be but I thought I should give you
a quick rundown at this point.

 

 
Dr. Richard Young -2- 6/6/73

I do not expect you to want to read the full volume of material
that we have sent you although I think there are some interesting nuggets

in it. I do think that you will find it relevant testimony to the
diligence of our efforts.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Genetics

JL/rr