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Medical Research Branch Division of Biology and Medicine United States Atomic Energy Commission The interesting proposal by Dr. Heller came into my hands and has been under study by myself and my colleagues which required more time than expected. The consensus is as follows: 1. There is no question as to the unique and unusual character of this proposal. be conducted in man offering considerable latitude, freedom and project with our endeavor under way in the bovine male. This is particularly true because the work would Our interest is obvious because of the similarity of this 2. I have known the principal investigator for nearly fifteen Hearing his paper on years, and I a m well acquainted with his work which is good but has been at times subject to some controversy. the use of H3 thymidine i n studies of spermatogenesis in the Oregon convicts led m e to invite him to our Symposium on Ionizing Irradiation 3. The proposal is well written and in logical sequence. It is however over-optimistic in numerous instances with regard to attainment of goals set with the proposed labor force available to Dr. Heller. This applies particularly to the conduct of the biochemical and steroid disciplines the project intends t o carry out with a large number of subjects. It is proposed to employ a variety of existing methods many of them untried in their hands (e. g. gas chromatography, isolation of androgens , estrogens, and intermediary metabolites) and attempting modification f o r purpose of improvement. While all of this
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is commendable, this large order of undertaking makes one wonder if in view of Dr. Heller's present set-up the chances for successful execution of several disciplines will be any more than mediocre. 4. If the Oregon group is successful in acquiring some expert technical steroid, biochemistry assistance, and improved physical facilities, I feel that this proposal is worthy of favorable consideration by the A. E. C. We certainly would be interested in establishing and maintaining a close working contact with them. Hoping that the foregoing serves a useful purpose, I remain with best personal regards