considers much of what's in the cur rent guidelines to be obstacles to science. "Scientific momentum can be lost," he adds, referring to the current need to have certain research pro posals reviewed. RAC demurred from voting itself out of existence, despite the urging of Rockefeller University biologist Norton D. Zinder, who appeared at the meeting as an ad hoc expert. He argued strenuously that national sentiment has changed in favor of doing gene-splicing research. Committee member Elena 0. Nightingale of the National Academy of Sciences justifies RAC's continued existence most succinctly: "Having federal involvement is one way of tempering local extremism." D
Academy/industry gene research plot thickens Life is getting a bit hectic in the fast lane that is the genetic engineering industry. In separate recent developments, the University of California, Davis, has barred a prominent researcher from tapping into a specific grant because of possible conflict of inter est. And the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University are somehow involved in a new ge netic engineering venture, the details of which are at best rather vague. At Davis, Charles Hess, dean of the College of Agriculture and Environ ment, has blocked plant geneticist Ray Valentine from receiving funds from a $2.5 million grant from Allied Corp. Valentine, a professor at Davis who works in the plant growth labo ratory, is involved in research using recombinant DNA techniques to at tempt to confer nitrogen fixation capabilities on plants that do not naturally possess that ability. Val entine is also a founder and vice president of Calgene Inc., a Davisbased firm set up last year to capi talize on biotechnology. Although none of the principals in the situation were available for com ment, it seems that officials at Davis, like those at many other universities, have been concerned for some time about the hazy relationship between academic research in genetic engi neering and firms set up by university professors to exploit that research commercially. According to a uni versity spokesman, Valentine at tracted the grant from Allied, it was being used to fund a number of re searchers including Valentine. Hess'
action in blocking Valentine from usine part of that grant was precipi tated by Allied's purchase of a 20% interest in Valentine's firm. That, apparently, was more than Davis of ficials could accept, and Hess called on Valentine to choose between the university and his firm. In the other development, six di verse firms—General Foods, Bendix, Elf Aquitaine, Koppers, Mead, and Maclaren Power & Paper—are channeling $10 million into a non profit foundation to support aca demic research in genetic engineering and into Engenics Inc., a for-profit arm of that foundation, to concen trate on development of commercial biotechnology processes. Two faculty members from Stanford and one from Berkeley, none of whom were avail able for comment, are associated with Engenics. According to spokesmen for the two universities, neither are direct participants in the nonprofit Center for Biotechnology Research or En genics. Of the $10 million, $2 million will be split between the two univer sities over four years to support basic research. The Center for Biotechnol ogy Research holds a 30% interest in Engenics and will use profits from that interest to support university research, but not necessarily at Berkeley or at Stanford. According to Gerald J. Lieberman, vice provost and dean of graduate studies and research, Stanford's re lationship with the center is "a sponsored research contract, no dif ferent from Stanford's relationship with the federal government, other foundations, or other single indus tries." He goes on to say, "There is nothing unusual about the research contract we have signed." D
Fungal warfare agents used in Asia, U.S. says Villagers from Southeast Asia and Afghanistan tell of "bizarre" symp toms of illness and even death after aircraft-delivered showers of "yellow rain." For years U.S. officials unsuc cessfully have searched for explana tions, focusing on the known effects of "conventional" chemical agents. Last week, the U.S. government an nounced the "key to the puzzle": An analysis of one leaf and stem sample found three potent toxins of the tri chothecene family. The test results, combined with the reports of refugees and medical per sonnel, offer "strong and compelling
Two mycotoxins of trichothecene group
Nivalenol
H3C^CHXCH3
Τ 2CH3 Ο
CCH3 II 3
ο T-2 toxin
but nonetheless preliminary" evi dence that deadly mycotoxins—not traditional chemical agents—are being used on villages in Laos, Kam puchea (Cambodia), and Afghani stan, under secretary of State for po litical affairs Walter J. Stoessel Jr. told reporters last week. While ex panding on remarks made earlier by Secretary of State Alexander Haig in West Germany, Stoessel, like Haig, was careful not to link explicitly the Soviet Union with the use of these biologically produced chemical agents in these countries. But the implica tion of violations of the 1925 Geneva protocol and the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention was strong enough to trigger a vehement denial from the Soviet Union. The leaf and stem sample was col lected in Kampuchea near the Thai border this March. It was analyzed for trichothecenes by an unnamed, in dependent mycotoxin expert, who is still analyzing other collected mate rial. Using a technique the State De partment describes as a "ferric gel procedure followed by selected ion monitoring on computerized gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer," the investigator found nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, and T2 toxin. Con centrations of the first two toxins were up to 20 times greater than are likely "to occur as a result of natural intoxication," the State Department reported him as saying. In addition, the three mycotoxins do not occur naturally in Southeast Asia, the State Department claims. Trichothecenes are metabolites of fusarium fungi, which infest grains and feeds stored under humid con ditions. Thirty-seven naturally oc curring trichothecenes are known to Sept. 21, 1981 C&EN
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