Tel. 23.029 ; 29.038 -— Indirizzo telegrafico: Istgenetica — Pavia

 

ISTITUTO DI GENETICA
UNIVERSITA DI PAVIA
VIA SANT’ EPIFANIO, 14

PAVIA

YUN 2 1964

May 27, 1964

Prof. Joshua Lederberg
Stanford University
Medical Senter
Department of Genetics

Palo Alto, Calif.

Dear Joshua,

we have been unable to hear so far
anything definite from Schering and Lepetit and
we believe therefore that the contract is to be con—
sidered as ended,

However, it may be useful to summa-
rize the present situation to you.

1) Lepetit - Quite recently Dow Chemical has conclu-
ded the purchase of a "substantial minority" (ru-
mors say: 40%) of Lepetit. It will take about two
years for Dow to become the complete owners. For
the next two years it will be difficult to obtain
any contract or to establish a collaboration with
Lepetit during this transition period, even if
Dow have expressed some interest in collaboration
outside. Incidentally, do you know that Calvin
was recently elected a member of the board of Dow?

2) Schering - For the above reasons, all colaboration

between Lepetit and Schering has ceased. It is
also clear now why Lepetit was willing to disconti-
nue Interist, and why the reasons were never given.

We have had contacts with Schering to

see if they might be interested to continue the col-
laboration. They have suggested the possibility of
continuing crosses on Actinomycetes. The scientific
manager, however, Dr. Weaver, was fired and we have

o/s
3)

26

not heard anything since. I will try to contact
them again on the occasion of my trip to Cold
Spring Harbor but we are rather sceptical on the
possibility.

Things being as they are, we have discontinued
all Interist projects. We are however continuing
on fluoropoiesis, which was never really offi-
cially announced as an Interist project. As the
project is not very expensive, we think we can
continue some activity on it and we will let you
have a summary of what we have done so far,

Things being as they are, we are

sorry that what you received for the first semester
of this year is the last contribution we can make

on the basis of our former agreements. We would like
however to discuss possible future plans for fluo-
ropoiesis when I am there next summer.

Yours

Cte: Laren

GE. Magni L.L. Cavalli-Sforza