Asilomar Across the Atlantic: EMBO, EMBL, and the Politics of Scientific Expertise

The internationalization of the 1975 International Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA molecules has received little attention, and in particular, the European impact on, and response to, the Asilomar Conference have remained largely unexplored in the historiography to date. This article highlights the role of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) as a key actor in recombinant DNA research and the issuing of guidelines for recombinant DNA technology on both sides of the Atlantic. It also investigates the legacy of the Asilomar Conference in shaping EMBO’s role as a science policy advisor for molecular biology in Europe. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, the article is divided into three sections. The first section explores EMBO’s role as a scientific advisory body in the development and guidance of recombinant DNA research in both the US and Western Europe. The second section investigates the impact of the Asilomar Conference on the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) project, reconstructing the scientific and political rationale behind the early construction of a high-risk containment facility in Heidelberg (soon obsolete due to the international relaxation of the guidelines). The third and final section analyzes how, between 1975 and 2004, EMBO reframed the Asilomar legacy as a model for its aspirations to serve as an advisory group for European science policy in molecular biology.