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-2The 115th meeting of the Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine
was held at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on November 10-12, 1966.
The meeting on
November 10 took place at the UT-AEC Agricultural Research Laboratory, and
on November 11 at the Medical Division of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear
Studies, Oak Ridge Associated Universities.
ACBM members in attendance were
Drs. Earl L. Green (Chairman), Philip P. Cohen (Vice-Chairman), Wm. F. Bale,
Lemuel C. McGee, Robert D. Moseley, Morell B. Russell, Harvey M. Patt,

(Scientific Secretary) and Miss Rosemary Elmo (Executive Secretary).

Because of a prior commitment, Dr. Green was present only on November 10
and Dr. Cohen served as Chairman.
Dr. Charles L. Dunham, Director, Division
of Biology and Medicine, and various members of his staff, were also present.
The ACBM was joined by Commissioner Nabrit at its executive session on
November 12.
The formal presentation by staff members at each of the meeting sites
was followed by a program recapitulation with the Director and his senior
staff.
This provided the ACBM with an opportunity to examine in some depth
various facets of the on-going programs and to ascertain program requirements and future developments.
The ACBM noted that the UT-AEC Laboratory
provided a rather unique opportunity for long-range studies with large
animals.
There is some question, however, about the desirability of
continuing to maintain all of the animals now on hand, many of which had
received poorly-defined radiation exposures in the field.
The Committee
suggested that a careful review should be made of the present experimental
animals and that a critical prospective study of long-term effects should be
designed.
It expressed the opinion that some aspects of the program, e.g.
radiobotany, could be phased out, particularly as staff members leave.
The
general lack of sophistication in plant work and instrumentation was noted.
The ACBM was pleased to learn of the appointment of Dr. Thomas Noonan, which
should strengthen the program with large animals.
The desirability of
interaction with the Medical Division at ORINS, ORAU, and the Biology
Division at ORNL was emphasized.
The ACBM proposed that a local advisory
committee consisting of representatives of the three laboratories could
provide a mechanism for fruitful collaboration in regard to the planning
and conduct of future programs at the UT-AEC Laboratory.
The organization
of a committee along these lines will be initiated by DBM.
In its discussion of the ORINS (ORAU) Medical Division program, the
ACBM expressed the view that the local advisory committee proposed for the
UT program could also be quite effective here.
The low and medium dose
rate facility in the Medical Division is a unique resource and it is hoped
that much of the future program will revolve around it.
There was some
discussion of the probably diminishing importance of whole body irradiation
for diseases such as leukemia, and of the desirability of applying instrumentation developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to medical problems
at ORINS, ORAU.
The ACBM emphasized the importance of constituting a
national committee for review of the clinical research protocols.
This is
due locally at present and a somewhat broader point of view would appear
to be desirable.

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