DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE

PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
    BETHESDA. MD. 20014
AREA CODE 301 TEL: 656-4000

June IO, 1966

Mrs. Mary Lasker
Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation
Chrys I er Bu I I d ing
Room 3313
New York, New York

Dear Mrs. Lasker:

1 enjoyed your Rubella luncheon but It was a partlcularly notable
occaslon for me because It gave me an opportunity to meet you at
last. I was much lmpressed by your perceptive questlons and those
of Dr. Farber concerning adequacy of support for vacclnes in general
and Rubella in particular.

Of course there is far too Ilttle support to solve the enormous
problems envlsloned by those who must actually do the research.
Drs.  Davis' and Overman's answers that the current budgets were ade-
quate were given In a context full of existing IImltatlons. In other
words, given the existing facility and personnel ceilings that have
been imposed for many years on the intramural programs of the National
Institute of Allergy and infectious Diseases, the current virus-
vaccine funds appear to represent all that can be effectlvely supervised.
For instance, my intramural research associates must provide scientlflc
supervislon for the entire viral vacclne program and carry out their
own research work as well, To do thls properly, we need twlce as much
space and twice as many well-trained vlrologlsts.  Currently most of
my assoclates,  including perhaps four of the ten most accomplished  and
productive virologists In the world, are each supervising the research
programs of five or more outside contracts, and at the same time our
virus group published 125 papers last year. Drs. Chanock, Rowe, Sever
and I must rely ( in some cases) on two-year research assoclate appointees
to help us supervise large research programs. This is nuts, but we have
no alternative.
tigators after we train them because we haven't space for them to pursue
their own research fnterests after their two years' training as assocfates.

We can't keep most of our most promising young  Inves-

The tlme is drawlng near when vacclnes wlll be sought for various cancers
and leukemla. A well-conceived and effectively managed cancer virus
vaccine program wlll depend to a great extent on the professional intra-

Mrs. Mary Lasker - Page 2 - June IO, 1966

mural staff of the National lnstltutes of Health and their ablllty to
design and supervise and coordinate the mlsslon-orlented vlrus research
programs required to achieve such vacclnes.

We stlll have too large a gap between scientiflc dlscovery and its
application to the solution of human problems. The National lnstltutes
of Health represents the natlonal Instrument for closlng thls gap.
Considering everything, it has done very well up to now, but it can
and must be able to move more effectively on today's research  frontiers.
This can't be done with yesterday's facilities, last year's concepts
and a resldual handful of top-flight In-house scientific planners and
Invest i gators,

I wIlI be happy to develop these thoughts further if you think it
worthwhtle. It's not so much that we need more funds (whlch of course
we do). It's lack of knowhow In the government machinery for maklng
maximum use of the funds available.

Sincerely,

Robert Huebner, M.D., Ch ief
Laboratory of Infectious Diseases
Natlonal Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases