SEP 2 9 IQ02

 

UNIVERSITA DI PAVIA

DIPARTIMENTO DI GENETICA E MICROBIOLOGIA

«A. BUZZATI TRAVERSO »
VIA ABBIATEGRASSO, 207 - TEL. (0382) 391533 - FAX 528496
27100 PAVIA (ITALIA) Sept . 26, 1993
Dr. Joshua LEDERBERG
Rockefeller University
1230 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021-6399
USA

Dear Josh,

since in the last weeks I have not heard much from you
through the E.mail, I try to resort to the old fashioned
letter, accelerated through the services of a courier..
I hope things are going on OK in the lab and at home.
It seems to me that in order to pull together the various
threads of our past and possibly future research efforts,
it may be advisable for me to come to New York ASAP. I am
prepared to do that even next month: we have invested a
lot in our projects, and we owe it to ourselves, our
colleagues and institutions (and science too!) to see
that the maximum is made out of what we already have got
and what we might have at hand (see e. g., our

' fingerprinting results possibly enriched with the use of
random priming in PCR, Greg's periodicity patterns, my
isomelters approach which seems very promising also for
procaryotic systems, etc etc.).
In addition, the situation here in Italy is becoming
worse and worse, and I feel I definitely need at least a
mouthful of oxygen and a leave, at least for some time.
Can you help me on this? Do you think that my research
programs -you have received them a few months ago- could
find some interest and space at RU? They involve
eucaryotic genomes but they could work also on
prokaryotes. I trust you will look at them
sympathetically.
Anything new on GT~-VS (incidentally, you are always
welcome to cosign it) processsing paper? I forgot to
suggest you a few names as referees: what about Sninsky,
Dahlberg or Szybalski?
To Keeep you abreast of my activityty, I am enclosing
copies of my paper for the Paris COGENE/UNESCO/CEE
Symposium of last April, and of a letter I sent to
Science a couple of months ago. Have you read the letter
published by the Spaniard on this subject in Nature, vol.
365, p. 201? What would be your opinion on the issue?
Next month I should be in Luxembourg to discuss the pros
and cons of a European Doctorate in Biotechnology.
Any suggestion?
I shall appreciate your comments ASAP: for my next visit
I can provide money for some 10-15 days plus airfare. Can
you find again some contributions?

Most sincerely yours,

. f
Vittorio Sgaramella (a0 Uj . L