Department of Health and Human Services Public Health Service, Grant Application

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA at BERKELEY
BERKELEsY * DAVIS * IRVINE *LOS ANGELES * RIVERSIDE * SAN DIEGO * SAN FRANCISCO ofSANTA BARBARA SANTA CRUZ
VIRUS LABORATORY
229 W. M. STANLEY HALL
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA 94720
August 27, 1993
Division of Research Grants
National Institutes of Health
5333 Westbard Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
Re: New research proposal (enclosed): "Animal tests of the AIDS risks of nitrite inhalants"
The enclosed grant application "Animal tests of-the AIDS risks of nitrite inhalants" has been
inspired by the studies compiled in "Health hazards of nitrite inhalants", edited by Harry W.
Haverkos and John A. Dougherty for the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 1988 [NIDA
monograph 83]. The specific experiments of our proposal have since been developed with advice
received from NIDA, particularly from Dr. Harry Haverkos, acting director of Clinical Research
and director of the Office on AIDS at NIDA, during a personal visit. Haverkos' input and
expertise with nitrite inhalants proved to be an invaluable resource in the preparation of this
application.
In view of this and the content of this proposal, we would urge you to direct this application to the
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) for review and support. An additional reason we would
like this proposal to be evaluated by NIDA, rather than by the virology-related study sections
within NIH, is that a conflict of interest arose recently between Duesberg and several reviewers
with retrovirus expertise in NIH study sections. This conflict led to the rejection of the original
renewal application for Duesberg's OIG grant. After a thorough investigation of this matter, the
NIH acknowledged that there had been a conflict, and ordered a re-review of the renewal
application, although again by a Virology Study Section. It would be unfair to the four other (nonvirologist) researchers included in the present application, if the review of this proposal were
influenced in any way by a past conflict between Duesberg alone and NIH Study Section
reviewers.
Finally, we would like to draw your attention to a supportive letter (enclosed) from Dr. Daniel E.
Koshland Jr., the editor of Science. Koshland's letter was written in part because of personal and
published communications with Peter Duesberg, and in part on the basis of information on the
epidemiology and toxicity of nitrite inhalants used primarily by gay AIDS risk groups, as described
in NIDA's "Health hazards of nitrite inhalants".
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely yours,

Peter H. Duesberg
Principal Investigator
Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
phone [phone] / fax [phone]