son, is spending the two weeks with California Research Corp., Shell Development, Calspray, Stauffer, International Minerals & Chemical, Cutter Labs, Riker Labs, American Potash, Purex, Pasadena Research, and Union Oil. The other. SP-1 M . L. Graffeo, is visiting 10 others. The plan is not new, but it's only really gotten off the ground just lately. Edward A. Metealf, heading; the project, notes that they'd like to see each of several thousand research labs annuallv. With onlv three full-time
travelers, they don't. Right now thev re concentrating o n some 3 5 0 to 400 laboratories around t h e country, and each man is logging a s much as 40,000 miles a year o u t of the Army Chemical Center i n Marvland. • Here's t h e W a y It Works. T h e contact starts with the t o p research man in an organization; it might b e t h e vice president of research o r t h e technical director. He's briefed o n t h e aims and methods of t h e program. After this initial session at t h e top, the Industrial Liaison Office ( I L O ) representative talks to the section and research project leaders. Often h e will discuss individual work with the man at t h e lab bench. At this point, anything talked about is strictly confidential. If the company wishes, it will remain that way permanently. It's simply a twoway street; I L O trying t o tell the researchers about the types of things it is interested in, and the company chemists listening, and often talking about their work. • Data Exchange· Following t h e industry visit, I L O waits to see what the company will send from time to
THE CHIEF. E . A. Metealf heads t h e program. H e r e , a vapor fraetometer g e t s his attention as Pfizer's Kirsti Valgre shows off some of t h e device*s versatility. I t ' s all part of t h e Army's n e w Industrial Liaison Program in action
RATS ALSO SERVE. Compounds from industrial labs a r e screened for their ability to counteract nerve gas poisoning. Chemical Warfare Labs' W . Bay, chemical pharmacologist ( l e f t ) , a n d L. F . Yates use rats in the tests
RESEARCH Give a n d Take A r m y C h e m i c a l Center chemists visit research labs. Results: n e w c o m p o u n d s , d a t a , and g o o d will 1_ HIS WEEK,
two m e n in
khaki
will
complete the second half of a quick cross-country hop. Not sightseeing n o r on maneuvers, t h e two are U. S. Army chemists. Each has an M.S. in organic chemistry, a n d each is meeting t o p West Coast chemical research leaders. It's part of a liaison program which saves Uncle Sam a lot of money each year, and perhaps even more important, boosts technical knowledge on both ends of t h e interchange. Whom are they seeing? T h e list is impressive. O n e , Capt. William Nel-
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time in the w a y of information about new compounds it has synthesized, n e w processes» or new information. All 1LO wants and gets is data—on a confidential basis. To save time in screening, it doesn't want samples yet. Some companies, For example, once a month send lists of sill t h e compounds their research, labs have prepared. Others invite I L O t o go through their files. Some even s e n d technical r e p resentatives to talk ί ο Chemical Corps scientists; all of this is at no cost, a n d with no sales plans in mind. No one except a 4iny handful in t h e I L O clerical office knows w h a t company is involved, unless the industrial firm says there's n o need for secrecy. I n fact, a technician r u n n i n g tests might not even b e told t h e compound he's testing. Periodically, a screening committee goes over t h e information companies have submitted. T h e group is m a d e u p of the Chemical Corps people w h o direct t h e various research programs a t the Center—both civilians a n d career Army officers. T h e y don't know where the information confies from, b u t if any
RABBITS TOO. Biochemist Lillian Conn ( s e a t e d ) , R o b e r t Mathews (left), and M a r v i n Adaxns record reactions of rabbits in toxicity studies. T h e work is done at the Army's Chemical War fare Laboratories screening branch
one is interested in further data or a sample for test, Metcalf asks the com pany for the data or sample, telling in general his plans for the compound. Finally, after all tests are completed, t h e testing group writes a report. Some 97 S4 of t h e time, Metcalf sends a complete copy of this report back t o the originating company. When it's too highly classified ( t h e other 3 % ) Metcalf only teUs the physical details. • M o n e y S a v e r . That's w h a t makes i t a two-way street, for the companies profit from t h e screening reports. W h a t about the Chemical Corps? Well, just last year ( 1 9 5 7 - 5 8 fiscal year) it received some 25O0 sugges tions, compounds, and ideas. (This was more than double the total in t h e program's first half decade.) Nearly 400 samples were received, each one of which would otherwise have had to b e synthesized. Typical syntheses of this type average at least $1000 each. But dollar value doesn't tell the story. Personnel, equipment, and funds just wouldn't have been there. Total cost to t h e Government: about S50 p e r compound, including travel and salaries.
Typical examples? O n e series of three compounds for toxicity screening was in the files. Normally, to screen the literature, come u p with a method, and prepare the compound would have taken several people some months. In stead, a six-step synthesis was o n file, and t h e company gladly sent 150 g r a m s of starting material, which was itself tough to make. It didn't pan o u t , but the work was saved nonetheless. Another case where a company % helped a lot: Tennessee E a s t m a n sent a long series of organic phosphates which Chemical Corps chemists tested as biologically active lethal agents. Capt. Nelson notes that "every one they've synthesized is o n e we would have liked to d o if we'd h a d funds and personnel available." T h e program has another benefit, too: building good will throughout the industry. Metcalf and his small staff see that every sample and bit of information is acknowledged. No more complaints about "red tape*' when letters go unanswered for months. Metcalf adds that over 90r,c of the ideas are in the early research stage. •
ILO GET-TOGETHER. Around the conference table, scientists a n d members of t h e Army Chemical Corps* Industrial Liaison Program consider military applica tions of candidate chemicals sent in b y industry for screening purposes JULY
21,
1958
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