WASHINGTON -- National Institutes of Health DirectorBernadine Healy on Thursday said she intends to conduct acomplete review of the agencyLs Cooperative Research &Development Agreements program (CRADA), the main vehiclefor technology transfer between the NIH and private industry.

Healy made the comment in her first press conference sincetaking over the NIH job on April 9.

The NIH, with a budget of about $6 billion, supports most of thebasic biomedical research conducted in the United States. Itfunds research by some 20,000 principal investigators.

Stressing that technology transfer must benefit the public, notindividual scientists, Healy said she will review CRADA to becertain that the public goals are being met.

Healy said the draft conflict-of-interest regulations governingcollaborations between NIH-funded academics and industrywill be formally adopted within a few months.

The director also said that although she personally opposes thepolicy, it is her duty to uphold the Bush administration's ban onfunding of research that involves transplantation of fetal tissuefrom induced abortions.

Healy, most recently chairwoman of the Research Institute ofThe Cleveland Clinic Foundation, has substantial credentials inbiotechnology. She served as chairwoman of the White HouseCabinet Working Group on Biotechnology in the Reaganadministration and was chairwoman of the Advisory Panel forNew Developments in Biotechnology of the congressional Officeof Technology Assessment.

-- Steve Usdin BioWorld Washington Bureau

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