Correspondence marked "Patent on diploids: Aspergillus"

Scope and Content
Legal documents and correspondence relating to Patent Specifications and Agreements and Assignations between Pontecorvo, Roper and Sermonti (the inventors), the University of Glasgow where the research took place, and the National Research Development Corporation.
Administrative / Biographical History
The original British patents were filed by Pontecorvo, Sermonti and Roper in 1951 and 1952. The NRDC financed the training of Mr Hutchison who worked under Pontecorvo's supervision in his laboratory and assisted with research on Pontecorvo's recombination technique. They also financed a substantial development breeding programme involving Mr Hutchison and other microbial geneticists at the Microbiological Research Establishment of the War Office. The main aim of this programme was to demonstrate the practical significance of Pontecorvo's technique to industry and to try to excite interest in industries in the UK and aborad. Although the NRDC secured an agreement with a UK company to adopt this technique at this stage they did not manage to raise much interest in industries in the USA. During this period Pontecorvo was worried that the patents weren't promoted enough by the NRDC and that scientists in the United States might go ahead and develop a similar technique.
Arrangement
Reverse chronological. This was the original order.

Scope and Content