September 13, 1976

Dr. S.1. Alikhanian

Institute of Genetics and Selection
of Industrial Microorganisms

Moscow 113545, USSR

Dear Dr. Alikhanian,

I was pleased to receive your letter of September lst concerning
the organization of the XIV International Genetic Congress to be held
in Moscow in August 1978.

I am particularly grateful that you were thoughtful enough to ask
for my suggestions about the particular symposium on "Genic Engineering",
and I will certainly be happy to help you in any way that I can. While I
can give you a few of the most obvious suggestions right away, I wonder if
you could share with me your thoughts on the scope of the symposium to
be sure that I give you advice that is really useful in relation to the
specific plans.

While the current activity and excitement about recombinant DNA in
bacteria certainly justifies giving this area the central position in any
discussion of "genic engineering", I wonder if you had thought to make
this the only focus or whether you had planned to include other forms of
genetic manipulation involving higher plants and animals. Of course in a sense
even controlled cross-breeding could be regarded as a kind of "genetic
engineering", but I assume that this would be excluded from the scope of this
particular symposium. On the other hand, such important findings as the
fusion of plant with human cells, the introduction of cells of diverse
genotype into the mouse embryo, the use of somatic cell fusion for plant crop
development, and the increasingly important role of haploid plant selection
and culture might all be regarded as very significant instances of genetic
engineering. If you will let me know your thoughts about the overall scope
of the program, I would be happy to comment again by return mail and perhaps
suggest the names of some other possible candidate speakers.

Within the particular field of recombinant DNA research in bacteria
I think you can get very effective suggestions by reading the issues of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, US, which contain an excellent
sampling of the most important papers in this field. The names of Stanley Cohen
and Paul Berg, both here at Stanford, are of course outstanding as is that
of Herbert Boyer from the University of California, San Francisco. But perhaps
you would also like to tell me approximately the size of the group of names
that you would like me to send since I could furnish you with anything from
3 or 4 on the one hand to several dozen on teh other, depending on what would

"ES INO AOI TY
Dr. S.I. Alikhanian -~2- 9/13/76

be most appropriate.

I am assuming that you are more interested in the seientific content
of work in this field than in the public poligy problems - for example
the issue of biohazard safeguards - and indeed I would recommend a
specifically scientific orientation. However, if you feel otherwise,
I could then also try to think of some other names that might be useful
to bring into a discussion of the biohazard aspects of the problem.
For the latter purpose - if you still wished to pursue it ~ I think you
would want to get in touch with Dr. K. Birgel, Division of Communicable
Diseases at the World Health Organization, Geneva, who has undertaken
a particular responsibility for coordinating the different international
steps being taken in this area. Dr. Solovie¥ from your country was also
a member of the subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Medical Research
which met at WHO to discuss some of these problems last June. However,
as I have indicated, while of course I am happy to give you whatever helpful
advice I can in this direction, my own view is that it would be preferable
to minimize the policy discussions and to put the main emphasis on

scientific accomplishments in this particular area at least for the purposes
of the Congress.

I know that your Institute is a leader in the practical applications

of genetic reseagsh fog ebe daxeloemaah Ghat haviabiea satigthen.tadegtriel
eRehiaat 4998: area in the Symposium. I am confident, or at least hopeful,

thetudkethivill be some exciting things to report along the line of
industrial exploitation of genetic engineering from this country by the time
of the 1978 Symposium. Unfortunately, it is not possible to identify who will
be ready to make such public discussions and the best that I can suggest is
that you keep some time open for opportunities that become more visible
Within the months before the Symposium.

 
Dr. S.I. Alikhanian -3- 9/13/76

Professor Alikhanian, I of course recognize that you were among
the leaders of Soviet genetics who were the first to understand the
significance of my own work on recombination in bacteria and for that
and many other reasons I am eager to have the opportunity to meet you in
person as I plan to do at the Symposium. I can be hopeful that the
Congress will be free from some of the extra-scientific restrictions that
have attended other international congresses in recent years and which have
then prevented them from fulfilling their function of encouraging informal

exchanges among individual scientists without Yespect to political
considerations.