THE ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY aera 1987

1230 YORK AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10021 -2-
April 7, 1987

 

JOSHUA LEDERBERG t

PRESIDENT Yes, I will certainly applaud you if you emulate Francis

Ryan!
Dr. Stephen M. Mount urs sincerely,
Department of Biological Sciences
Sherman Fairchild Center for the Life Sciences
Columbia University
New York, New York 10027 shua Lederberg

Dear Dr. Mount:
Thank you for your comment in your letter of April 1.

As far as I can see your response only confirms the point
that I was trying to make (but evidently did not communicate
very successfully): like the 1890s for medical science, we to-
day have a pretty clear idea of the agenda, namely the most
cogent issues are for biological research. You stated them
yourself. We also have a pretty good idea of the methodology
needed to pursue it. Both of those conditions, especially the
latter, make this time very different from that of biology 50 ‘
years ago, when we didn't have the foggiest idea how we were
to get at the chemistry of the gene. Nor was the question very
well stated.

disn
I don't ,agree with you about the brute force approach to
sequencing the human genome; like you, I would focus on the
islands of opportunity (see enclosure).

The exploration metaphor does have some validity (although
any metaphor can be treacherous if misapplied): we have recent-
ly discovered a new continent, and we are looking about for
the best strategy of further exploitation. A one or ten
kilometer resolution overview of the territory of North America
would substantially help our further efforts to try to locate
the various elements of terrain, the biota, the habitated areas.
More dubious at this stage would be a one meter resolution map
of the entire expanse, (at approximately the cost of the human
genome sequencing project; the analogue of satellite photography
will have its’place when the technology catches up). I think
you are responding to the propaganda for the sequencing project
vather than to the theme that I was trying to express.

ta- [$00