STANFORD MEDICAL CENTER o E>

300 PASTEUR DRIVE
PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA

STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE PALO ALTO-STANFORD HOSPITALS
DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS

July 10, 1961

Dr. Joshua Lederberg

Professor and Head of the Dept. of Genetics
Stanford Medical Center

Palo Alto, California

Dear Dr. Lederberg:

Please accept my thanks for your kindness during the past
year in granting me financial assistance to begin my graduate
studies in statistics at Stanford. I will probably finish the
requirements for a Master's degree within two more quarters,
after which I hope to work toward a Ph.D. in either statistics
or mathematics. I owe you my gratitude for a very profitable
and enjoyable academic year.

Respectfully yours,
Don:
A A Cuff
Don H. Card

DHC:ajr

 
PROGRESS REPORT: GENETICS TRAINING PROGRAM

As a genetics trainee for the academic year 1960-61, a program of graduate
study in statistics and laboratory experience in investigative biochemistry was
undertaken.

The following course work towards a Master's degree in statistics was satis-

factorily completed:

Stat. 110 Statistics for Physical Sciences
116 Probability
119 Statistical Inference
120 8 we
Math 114 Matrix Theory
115 Mathematical Analysis
116 m! tt
131 Partial Differential Equations
132 WwW tr TE

The laboratory work was under the direction of Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Walters
in the Department of Pediatrics. The object of this work was to develop a spectro-
photometric assay for the enzymic synthesis of heme from iron and protoporphyrin.
Although satisfactory differences between the spectra of protoporphyrin and heme
were found, the interference from hemoglobin present in the enzyme preparations
could not be circumvented, This approach was therefore abandoned until further

enzyme purification is achieved.

Subsequent studies dealt with a characterization of the heme synthetase system
in six-day-old avian embryo homogenates. This system was found to resemble the
mature avian erythrocyte system as regards the effect of heat, optimal hydrogen
ion concentration, stability, sulfhydryal inhibitors, and dialysis. It differed
from the mature system in the effectiveness of cysteine and globin in stimulating

heme synthesis.