1975

Asilomar conference in CA, whose organizers were led by MIT’s David Baltimore, discoverer of “reverse transcription” (transcription of RNA into DNA), debates the need for, and nature of, safeguards to allow resumption of genetic engineering research while keeping it free from governmental regulation. At end of conference, a small group led by Paul Berg (discoverer of recombinant DNA technology) and Baltimore prepare list of safety provisions that labs pursing genetic engineering research must follow. “The restrictions agreed to at Asilomar were accepted by universities and funding agencies worldwide. . . . Restrictive national legislation was avoided” (Issacson, 270-273).