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13 1966

OQcteber 11, 1966

Robert Shaffer
Dean's Office

Don Stuedeman
Genetics

Facilities Grant Final Report

The purpose of this memo is to provide information for the final report on
the NASA facilities grant, more specifically, topic 5 of the Donald C. Holmes
letter of December 14, 1965.

The new NASA portion of the Clinical Sciences Building houses research
programs which involve the work of such persona as Dr. Joshua Lederberg,
Dr. Elliott Levinthal, Dr. Berthold Halpern, Dr. John Westley, Dr. Sidney
Liebes, and Dr. Lubert Stryer. There are, of course, many other persons
involved directly and indirectly in the NASA programs, including those in
interdiseiplinary activities.

In response to topic 6, which concerns progress wade by the grantee towards
the goals established in the Memorandum of Understanding, Dr. Levinthal had
described some of the research programs, their goals, and the values which
are accruing to the research community and the public as the plurality of
expectations begin to unfold. As Dr. Levinthal points out, "The greatest
commitment of the NASA supported research group is to the development of
computer wanaged instruments relevant to the automated biological laboratory
(ABL) for planetary explorations."

The present effort places greater emphasis on basic science and less on
hardware implementation. Yor example, greater efforts are being expended
on the basic science of the Pasteur Probe and biological application of the
techniques developed in connection with optical isomerism. Particularly
relevant are ways of increasing the effectiveness of the ACME 18¢/360-50
system to aid in the conception and design of ABL missions.

Our imaediate objectives are to demonstrate the feasibility of a computer
managed laboratory and research in optical chemical specificity. This
effort uses mass spectrometry and gas chromatography as a primary, but not
exclusive, model. In carrying out this demonstration existing computer
facilities are being used, 1.@., our laboratory LINC computer, the Stanford
Computation Center facilities, and for the future, the Medical School (ACHE),
1BM/360-50 time shared system whose funding has now been approved by the NIH.

Gas chromatographic laboratoyy work on optical chemical specificity, related
to the Pasteur Probe, is continuing. In addition, a number of spact fic
applications of these technqiues are beginning to emerge, and we are following
through in collaborative programs involving various aspects of molecular
Memo to Robert Shaffer
Page 2
October 11, 1966

biology. Thus, we have been able to find some evidence for the occurrence
of D-amino acids in the free amino acid pool mammalian brain. Then, micro
assays for bacterial cell wall constituents (especially D-alafiine) are
being perfected. The capacity of the t-RNA to transfer D~amino acids is
being tested; oligopeptide substrates for enzymes of genetic interest in
B-subtilis are being developed.

And in close connection with all of our work, development of systems to
couple the gas chromatograph to a mags spectrometer and general systems
for introduction of solid samples into a mass spectrometer and methods
of surface microanalysis are being pursued.

DLS: jd

ec: J. Lederberg °
i. Levinthal —~

8. Halpern