Dr. Gerald Fink of Cornell University spoke before a crowd of approximately 150 at the Medical School yesterday to describe his recently successful experiments in recombinant DNA research with yeast cells and the E. coli bacillus.
Fink said that he and two assistants have been able to isolate complex DNA containing genes from the chromosomes of the yeast cells, and to successfully transfer them to the much simpler E. coli chromosomes.
The importance of his work, Fink said, is that by injecting complicated genes into a simpler and more quickly propagating organism, he has been able to quickly produce larger quantities of the original genes for study.
Mass Production
Macy Koehler, biohazards safety officer for the University, said yesterday that DNA transfer enables researchers to isolate a segment of DNA with specific qualities, mass-produce it, and then study it for such practical mechanisms as insulin production, or cell reproduction.
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