June 14, 1944
Dr. A.N. Richards
Committee on Medical Research
2102 Constitution Avenue
Washington 25, D.C.
Dear Dr. Richards:
I submit herewith for consideration by the Committee on Medical Research a proposal
for contract in medical research pertaining to national defense, on the subject "The
chemical treatment of human serum proteins and of globin to produce material of large
molecular weight and diminished rate of loss from the blood stream through tissues
with increased permeability because of burns or shock; and the preparation of proteins
coupled with dyes and of other materials for use by Dr. Thomas Addis and Dr. John
Oliver in the study of the mechanism of renal failure following injection of protein
preparations and of methods of preventing it". Dr. Thomas Addis and Dr. John Oliver
will also submit proposals for contracts for related work. The program was planned
by Dr. Addis and me, after consultation by correspondence with Dr. Oliver.
You will note that the program comprises two related researches, one dealing
with the study of homologous serum proteins which have been treated in such a way
as to couple the molecules together into larger molecules, and the other dealing with
the mechanism of renal damage. The second investigation may be significant in connection
with renal damage resulting from shock or from the injection of homologous proteins.
We have stated one year as the estimate of duration of the work. It would be
satisfactory to all of us, in case that your Committee preferred, to have contracts
for a six months period, with the expectation of consideration of extensions at the
end of that period.
I would like very much to be able to make a study of preparations of homologous
proteins with increased molecular weight because I think there is the possibility
that these preparations would be of real value clinically. I am also very much interested
in the proposed investigation of the mechanism of tubule blocking. The cooperation
between our group and Drs. Addis and Oliver in this work has been a great satisfaction
to me.
Sincerely yours,
Linus Pauling
LP:jr
Enclosure
