Memo to C S Shoup, Subject: Advisory Committee for Biology and Medicine - Oak Ridge Meeting, May 5-7, 1955

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May 19, 19%: Herman M. Roth, Director, Research andTO and Medicine Division The spring 1955 tneeting of the Advisory Committee f o r Biology and Yediciae represented the first opportunity f o r this group to formally review biomedical work i n Oak Ridge in five years. were present including representatives from the Xashington Office as All mEunbers of the Committee Advisory Committee on Biology and Medicine Dr. G. Fail la, Columbia University Medical School, Columbia University, N.Y. Dr. Edward A. Doisy, S t . b u i a University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo. Dr.Curt Stern, University of Calif. Berkeley, Calif. Dr. Shields Warren, New England Deaconess Hospital, Boston, Mass. John C. Bugher, Director, Mviaion of Biology and Medicine Charles L. Dunham, Deputy Director, Division of Biology and Medicine Paul B. Pearson, Chief, Biology Branch, Division of Biology and Medicine H. A. Stanwood, Chief, Prokram Analysis Branch, Division of Biology and Medicir N o S. Hall, Biologist, Division of Biology and Medicine Dr. E. C. Stakman, University of Minn., Minneapolis, Minn., Consultant HIGHLTGHTS OF THE MEETING: The Committee members (with the exception of Dr. Stern who arrived in the evening) and BEC representatives met at the UT - m laboratory building. Mr. Sapi rie presented a description of the production, constmotion, engineering, and research and developm bil i ties of Oak Ridge Operations. review and welcoming remarks, the meet

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feels its interests are closely allied with programs of both the Conrmission and the University; (b)[they seek and appreciate guidance from the Washington Office; (c) believe i n professional honesty and feel this will be exemplified their forthcoming progress report a He further stated that the University desires that the University of Tennessee-A= Program develop along lines that the functions of the UT-JIEC Program areto accomplish research objectives within Commission and University interests, to use the external radiation field most effectively and t o encourage cooperative efforts with the various departments of t h e University, with other ing.bttutions and e and t o provide objectives for training of graduate siiudents. omission of an affiliation with OR0 i n the diagram shown. efforts are underway t o reduce farm costs to the Commission, tht whereas net FY 1954 farm costs were near $60,000, the FY 1956 net farm costs would be $28,500. It was indicated that UT i s supplying support t o the program inthe amount of about $hO,OOO, leaving us ata loss t o fully account for t h i s estimate since personnel support supplied to the program by the University i s indicated by them to be $24,000. We do not know whether they regard the additional $lS;,sOO as representing the value of Universityowned cattle supplied t o the UT-AEC herd or their estimate'of absorbed University overhead costs. Patrick, stated the current budget forms 189 represent a cooperative effort of the UT-AEC staff approved by the University i n Knoxville and that the plan of research follows proposals made a t the time of our review meeting i n Washington on January 27, 1955. by the effo Lts of the new Acting Laboratory Director and will be seen i n presented the UT-= organization chart on the blackboard 3we noted the It was stated The Acting Laboratory Director, Dr. Homer The program presentation followed. 1. Homer Patrick - Fission Product Metabolism. Project 2. This work has included studies on the deposition of Strontium-89 i n bone, and Ca-Sr exchange, particularly in relation to the protein intake of experimental animals. laboratory animals and chicks t o examine +&e deposition of several chemical forms of Is as they become bound in the liver, spleen and bone. Studies of Ulho have been started on Work i n progress on the determination of the endogenous calcium metabolism of the steer with Cab5 indicates the proportion o f Ca absorbed and retained in the bone and .the proportional amounts believed unabsorbed i n the G.I. tractor absorbed and excreted. Studies are underway also on the effects of age and dietary protein

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on the calcium and phosphorus absorption in rats. some studies were being made of Vitamin D but this appears to have little influence if the available calcium and phosphorus is atthe normal intake levels. It i s planned that phosphorus availability studies will be made on sheep and swine and will include isotopic It was stated that AttemDts are made t o evaluate the effects of total body irradiation from io0 t o LOO r. on reproductive functions of t h e male. will be made for the minimum level of radiation exposure that produces changes i n the sperm and sperm counts in cattle. may be found a t some dose level lower than that producing visible effects on sperm morphology. It i s thought effects F. W. Lengeman - Iodine Elimination i n Milk. Project 7. Work on milk secretion using mainly 1131 was described. It is believed that4to 7% of the Xodine dose goes t o the milk mo matter how the dose in butter fat. It was interesting that goats do not eliminate the11131 dose exponentially as do cattle and sheep. The iodine appears to be free iodine and does not s e e m About 1/10 of 1% of 1131 present i n the milk will remain Some aspects of the large animal external radiation studies were covered briefly, and it was pointed out that the need for the project has outlasted the original objectives. Using burros, lethal dose studies have been accomplished at different energies of gamma irradiation and these have emphasized the energy dependency i n radiation effects. Recent studies on swine using zirconium-niobium sources and a dose rate of 2 r / hr indicated resistance to radiabion effects since to date the swine have shown no radiation sydrome following a total of 600 re College of llprriculture people were called on t o describe some of the pork the k ivers it y wants t b do on beef cattle breeding inthe con'trol herd at UT-Am. They plan on line evaluation, feeding tests, and detection of potential dwarfism from X-ray photos of vertebrae. Dr. George K. Schweitzer, who serves as part-time radiochemist, briefly discussed radiological physics work and indicated UT-AEC regards this phase as a service duty to the program. We believe this attiitude is a serious Stil best r ol

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error in that the radiological physics and radiochemistry portion of the program i s basic tothe effectiveness and quality of accomplisbents i n the laboratory. However, a new radiochemist will j o i n UT-AEC this month and itis hoped that this phase of the work will be improved. Dr. Paul B. Pearson referred t o the use ofthe exposure field by the hut hern Agricultural Stations. He and Dr. Singleton of Brookhaven' i n New Orleans where Singleton spoke on agricultural uses o f external radiation. Pearson expects the UT-AEC f i e l d and possibly the Oak Ridge graphite reactor can be used for plant and seed exposures a t no cost to the stations. However, this would be under a plan providing for the several stations doing their own planting and follow-up studies under their own individual state support. meeting of the southern experiment station directors Atthe conclusion of the program presentation, Dean J. H. McLeod requested a closed session with the Committee and Commission representatives. asked fora criticism of the program. This request was met by expressiohs that the people presenting the program appear y thus i a stic, that there is general approval for their entering into some amount of plant work with the exposure field, and that full advantage might be taken for cooperation with other southern institutions. unique and the advantages of the field should not be overlooked;' One criticism was voiced regarding the size of the UT-AEC technical advisory committee in that too large a committee Kith too much emphasis might tend to stifle free investigation. and that the radiation field i st h e only large-animal facility we have, 1 The Dean noted that Dr. Patrick, as acting laboratory director, had been i n charge for eight months, and asked the opinion of the Committee regarding his designation as Director. attention that nearly all those present had but short acquaintance with Dr. Patrick and the current developments inthe program, and no action would be appropriate on this question a t this time. the procuedings i t was pointed out thata decision regarding a permanent director should be based OA experience of the man and the local and regional leadership he could demonstrate and that a director for the UTAEC Program should be of such stature that he could meet other leading scientists and OR0 laboratory directors on a n equal basis of leadership the visitors could have time t o visit the exposure field. FRIDAY, MAY 6 , ORINS AEDICAL DIVISION, 9800 A.M. It was called to the Dean's At this stage in A t about this point the meeting adjourned i n order that The Oak Edge Institute of Nuclear Studies, Medical Division, covered the following projects in their program on the morning af May 6 :

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1. Could A. Andrews - Clinical Colloid Studies. Reported on recant developments ina long-range program on clinical colloids. phosphate and h198 with two less familiar 0nes~Y90-91 given as chlorides along with stable carrier but which behave as colloids in thebody. . 2. G. C. Kyker, Rare Earth Studies. Using animals,has investigated %he metabolism and distribution of many rare earths. The metabolism and distribution patterns of carrier free rare earths have also been followed. Carriers from other members of the rare earth family have been added and it has been found that the metabolism and distribution iodine adminishation, the blood levels of iodine-131, and the his to logical picture in th poi d recovery, were described. at terns do not change except i n minor detail, but advantages are from 4- C. L. Comar, Low Level Couriting. A brief di script ion was given o f present work on Iodine-131 determinations in cattle and human thyroids, and on m i l k and bone, the measurements of 5 x lO'!hc. Milk values are less than 5 x eing at a sensitivity 5. Marshall Brucer, Thyroid Uptake Calibration Program. Studies were presented of the mock-iodine spectnun, the plans for evaluation of calibrations, and the proposed presentation for Geneva. 6. Vincent Collins, Teletherapy Evaluation Board. D r o Collins of the Baylor University School of Medicine, presented the main aspects o f the TEB program. A question was raised as to the TEB evaluation of survival, and it was stated consideration of this information would be a p a r t of lung carcinoma studies and some of the bone work. Atthe conclusion of the ORINS Medical Division review, the visitors were taken to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory f o r a luncheon provided by Carbide a t t h e 8-10 Cafeteria. The afternoon session covered Program 6000 research i n progress a t ORNL, 1. K . Z. Morgan, Director, Health Physics Division. The main areas of research i n Health Physics were presented, together with a resumel of efforts toward securing additional data relating to calculations for the maximal permissible concentration for various radioelements, a main problem being interpretation of single dose data i n terms of

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normal base-line of trace elements i n the human for boron, cesium, manganese, iron, nickel, copper and strontium. the cooperative study with the Massachusetts General Hospital, continues t o 'supply data bearing on the Y-12 model for uranium i n blood, bone, kidney and urine. nature of the work in progress, giving med it to ORNL for its ORNL continues t o seek further information on the Dr. Fail la remarked upon the unique 2. Stanley Auerbach, Ecological Consideration of Soil Organisms. Attempts are t o be made on identification of radiation effects on organisms of the forest floor o tivs of a habitat niche, a t dose range of 1~,000-1,000,000 r. and it i s found the range of atleast 50,000 r. is required to ta use depletion of key organisms. Conrad Straub (USPHS) - S o i l Absorption of Specific Isotopes. Saturation and migration capacities of varlous soils are undgr study. Evaluation is being made of clays and o t h e r materials for pit liners, and studies on pit models include entrainment tests and consideration of possibilities for air-borne escape of act iv it y. Currently studies are being made mental and theoretical.physics consideration of stopping power and threshold detectors. It was noted t h a t Hurst's work has comprised an important contribution tothe development and - application of new methods of dosimetry, and from this has come more accurate measurements that have improvalinterpretation of recent data, especially the dreenhouse information from the lead hemispheres. Research i n dosimetl-g includes both experiThe fast neutron dosimeter was described and the S-U-Np-fu I n concluding t h e Health Physics phase of the program, Birkoff and Snyder reported briefly on work i n progress regarding ionization and stopping power i n various media, ard securing of depth dose curves for media cont ahh g tissue elements. reported on the Radiological Physics Fellowships, noting t h a t of the 101 who have completed the program, 62% arein H.P. work, anl 205% are Fn graduate schools or a r e extension fellows. demands for people with this training are anticipated. R. F. Kimball. Cytogenetics. Reporting on the general cytogenetics phase of work a t the Biology Division, OWL, Kimball covered briefly the main outlines of studies on Paramecium, Tradescantia and -Vicia, /- 7 maize, Neurospora, and the insect worko

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Waldo E. Cohn. Biochemistry. The sequence of m r k on nucleic acid and nucleotide identification in heterogeneity and function, and relation - ship with coenzymes and DNA, EN&, was described. enzyme-substrate complex studies and synthesis of protective compounds was described briefly, together with Totter fsm rk on labelled precw s or s such as glycine, leucine and formate, and Arnold's studies oisy, who had a two-day visit previous %he so enjoyed talking with ORNL of plant bioluminescence. t o the current meeting, remarked biochemists that he felt he could sit down and talk with them for another full day with pleasure because of the quality of the mrk Stanley F. Carson. Microbial Metabolism and Plant Biochemistry, Carson briefly covered the work of his own group dealing m t h incorporation of carbon compounds and their intermediates in microbial metabolism, ard also %he work under Tolbert's program i n plant biochemistry, emphasizing the seven-carbon sugar studies, metabolism of glycolic acid and the side reactions that may give rise to glycine and serine, the energy-transfer systems under study, especially the identification and isolation of the flav o protein ion-exchange across the red cell,isolation of cell components and the separation of nuclei, mitochondria and microsomes by Anderson, were described, particularly with bearing on the …