To blind or not researcher's identity has often been a topic of debate in the context of peer-review process for scientific publication and research grant application. This article reports on how knowing the name and experience of researchers/institutions influences the qualification of a proposal. We present our experience of managing the…

Discusses major uses of rats as experimental animals for studying health concerns, pointing out that their size, gestation, and histocompatibility make them useful in various studies. Topic areas addressed include aging, autoimmune disease, genetics, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, infection, reproduction, and behavior. (DH)

Relying upon grant-supported salaries, many medical schools have greatly expanded their faculties; but if new funding devices are not discovered, retrenchment will occur. Physicians, who are trained to look at the big picture, must continue to be an essential element in the biomedical research team. (MLW)

An African-American researcher is spearheading a black biomedical research movement to urge more African Americans to investigate the health issues affecting their communities. His research focuses on the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) virus, but he is encouraging general expansion of the black researcher population. (MSE)

Ownership issues in the results of research generally and of human tissue research specifically are explored. While acknowledging some uncertainty in the law, it is found that human tissue may be lawfully accessed for research and that use of human tissue does not modify the general allocation of interests. (MSE)

The House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee's regulatory legislation on recombinant DNA technology is discussed along with university reactions to it. Violations of federal guidelines and legal efforts are described. (LBH)

The medical scientist program at the Duke University School of Medicine was designed to prepare students with clinical experience for careers in basic science, clinical teaching, and investigation. The career selections and professional activities of graduates and the factors that may have influenced their career choices are examined. (MLW)

Reviews the pros and cons of using animals or alternatives in scientific research. Such alternatives (as indicated in congressional bill HR 556) include mathematical models, isolated organs, tissue and cell cultures, computer simulations, mechanical models, and "lower" organisms among others. (SK)

Discusses unpaid postdoctoral researchers, especially those in biology and medicine, addressing reasons why they work without pay, how they receive funding, efforts to help them, their impacts on the field, and personal concerns. (DC)

Three aspects of clinical research career decision-making were explored: the timing of the decision to enter a research career, the relationship between research success and the timing of the decision, and the impact of two disincentives to enter research careers. (Author/MLW)

The presentation of the Abraham Flexner Award for Distinguished Service to Medical Education to Sherman M. Mellinkoff and the AAMC Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences to J. Michael Bishop is described. (MLW)

The application of the principles of property law to the results of the research are examined, specifically as applied to the use of human tissue in biomedical research. It concludes that lawful access of research material provides sufficient dominion to preclude any asserted claim by the source of research material. (Author/MLW)

Recent advances in biopharmaceutical research and biotechnology and their implications for drug delivery systems are discussed. (MSE)

Traces the history of using mice for medical research and discusses the benefits of using these animals for studies in bacteriology, virology, genetics (considering X-linked genetic homologies between mice and humans), molecular biology, immunology, hematology, immune response disorders, oncology, radiobiology, pharmacology, behavior genetics,…