European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 20 the stars and stripes tuesday May 31, 1977 modern living bacterial factories fori Suun researcher Howard Goodman with diagram of rat insulin molecule Dan coding. By Mary Ganz associated press controversial experiments in altering genes have resulted in a major breakthrough scientists turning Ordinary bacteria into factories capable of producing insulin. Scientists at the University of califor Nia san Francisco reported last week that within six months they May be Able to uti Lize bacteria colonies to produce the drug essential to the survival of 1.5 million diabetics. A research team headed by drs. Howard m. Goodman and William j. Flutter said it had successfully taken the special genes that produce insulin out of rats and spliced them into Ordinary bacteria that cannot on their own produce Insu Lin. The next step is to splice human insulin genes into the bacteria. The feat open the door potentially to further genetic engineering of splicing or tra stering genes from one species to another. Bacteria might become factories tomake Anil biotic or other drugs. Plants might be Given the ability to Moke nitrogen out of the air rather than needing expensive and scarce fertilizers. Some scientists think this ability to put genes together in different ways called recombinant Dan research would be a scientific landmark comparable to the atomic age. The Gene is the Basic unit of heredity and contains a chemical Dan that tells a cell for example whether to develop into the cell of an Eye or the cell of a Fingernail. A specific set of genes in the pancreas orders the production of insulin a hormone that helps the body change blow sugar into Energy. By implanting the right genes into the bacteria colonies Goodman said that in six months the scientists May be Able to order them to manufacture a primitive form of the insulin normally produced in the pancreas of a rat. This substance then can be transformed into insulin by adding enzymes in a test tube. The american diabetic association estimates that 1.5 million of toe nation s 10 million diabetics must take insulin drugs to control the disease. The drags drawn from pigs and cattle Are scarce and expensive. Goodman said he could not estimate when bacteria produced insulin would be generally available but said in principle it s All possible and probably could go quite  a Csc researchers used rat genes because the rat genes Are easily available. But Goodman said it would be a relatively simple matter for scientists to accomplish the same results using genes from other  of Federal regulations govern ing the use of recombinant Dan technology however Goodman said research leading to the production of human insulin by these methods was More complicated. Regulation imposed by the nation Al institutes of health on researchers using Federal Amdi require that genes before they can be plan Ted into bacteria must be purified in a special facility not readily available to most scientists. The regulations grew from fears that this kind of genetic engineering planting genes from one species into the cells of an other could result in a genetic Accident that would create a new form of life Haz ardous to Man. Research on recombinant Dan detox ribonucleic acid is seen by some scientists As leading to such advances As controlling hereditary diseases and under standing now characteristics pass from one generation to the next. But the Nih guidelines came in response to fears that uncontrollable and potentially harmful Micro organisms could escape from the Laboratory. Some even fear that genetic engineering could one Day Lead to a dictator Bent on controlling human development. At a 1975 meeting at Asi Lomar. Calif., 140 biologists agreed to impose a voluntary ban on Dan experiments until safety guidelines could be formed and a year later the Nih produced its code. Bills Are pending both in Congress and in the California legislature to apply the Nih guidelines to All research whether federally funded or  said the a Csc findings to be published in the journal science Are the product of More than a year of studying the genes that produce insulin. He said that the Type of bacteria involved in the research could not live on its own even if it were to escape from the Laboratory. We would Hope that Good things will come of this report rather than the Nega Tive press this Type of research has been  Goodman said. This kind of re search has been going of for five years and no accidents have been reported. People maybe Are realizing that the initial fears Are not coming to be and we re coming close to be Able to make something really biologically important like  another Benefit of the research May be in helping scientists under stand what causes i"?1 bacteria used in experiments with rat insulin Gene As seen by scanning Electron Microscope a step toward mass producing human  said scientists nope to lean by study ing the genes what tuns them on and Oil what tells an insulin Gene to go to work producing the hormone. When that is understood he said Sci ence May be close to discovering Why diabetics produce an insufficient amount of insulin on their own and must take supple mental insulin drugs. Other researchers involved in the project were drs. Alex Ullrich Jolin Shine John Chirgwin Raymond picket and Edmund Tischer