Human Heredity 11th Edition by Michael Cummings

Exercise 17

Asilomar: Scientists Get Involved
The first steps in creating recombinant DNA molecules were taken in 1973 and 1974. Scientists immediately realized that modifying the genetic information in Escherichia coli , a bacterium from the human gut, could be potentially dangerous. A group of scientists asked the National Academy of Sciences to appoint a panel to assess the risks and the need to control recombinant DNA research. A second group published letters in two leading journals, Science and Nature , calling for a moratorium on certain kinds of experiments until the potential hazards could be assessed. Shortly afterward, an international conference was held at Asilomar, California, to consider whether recombinant DNA technology posed any dangers and whether this form of research should be regulated. In 1975 and 1976, guidelines resulting from this conference were published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a government agency that sponsors biomedical research in the United States. These guidelines prohibited certain kinds of experiments and listed other types of experiments that were to be conducted in containment to prevent release of bacterial cells carrying recombinant DNA molecules. In the meantime, legislation was proposed in Congress and in many states and local governments to regulate or prohibit the use of recombinant DNA technology.
After exhaustive testimony and reports, the federal legislation was withdrawn, and by 1978, research had demonstrated that the strain of E. coli was much safer for use as a host cell than was originally thought. Other work showed that recombinant DNA is produced in nature and that there are no detectable serious effects, and in 1982, NIH issued a new set of guidelines eliminating most of the constraints on recombinant DNA research. No experiments are currently prohibited.
The most important lesson from these events is that the scientists who developed the methods were the first to call attention to the possible dangers of recombinant DNA research, and they did so only based on its potential for harm. There were no known cases of the release of recombinant DNA-carrying host cells into the environment. Scientists voluntarily shut down their research work until the situation could be assessed properly and objectively. Only when they reached a consensus that there was no danger did their work resume. Contrary to how they are often portrayed in the popular media, scientists do care about the consequences of their work and do become involved in socially important issues.
Do you think the way this issue was handled should be a model for future situations involving potential dangers that might arise from research methods or results?