Research Monitored

The International Council of Scientific Unions has established a committee to monitor genetic research on an international basis, focusing on work with recombinant DNA.

The issue received national publicity this summer when the Cambridge City Council voted a three-month moratorium banning recombinant DNA research at Harvard and MIT.

Proponents of the controversial research argue that it could lead to a greater understanding of certain types of diseases, including cancer.

Critics say that research in this area could create mutant bacteria with new properties that might cause, rather than control, cancer.