Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Dr. Joanne Chory

In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the "Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable." A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy’s policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual’s financial and other interests and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

We have concluded that for the committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include among others: members who have knowledge of plant regulatory pathways, extensive experience in plant science research, and detailed knowledge of the Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP).

To meet the need for this expertise and experience, Dr. Joanne Chory is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that she has a conflict of interest because she is subcontractor of a grant from PGRP. PGRP was initiated as a direct result of the National Plant Genome Initiative and has supported over 200 projects to date, many of which have co-principal investigators. Dr. Chory’s PGRP subcontract supports the salary of one student in her laboratory.

As her biographical summary makes clear, Dr. Chory is among the world leaders in the study of plant responses to light. She identified many of the genes responsible for the control of plant photomorphogenesis and discovered that this process is regulated by a steroid hormone. She also cloned the receptor for this class of hormones. She has 19 years of experience in plant science research and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences. We believe that Dr. Chory can serve effectively as a member of the committee and that the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the work.

After an extensive search, we have been unable to find another individual who has the equivalent combination of professional experiences and scientific expertise and credentials as Dr. Chory who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this conflict is unavoidable.


Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Dr. Steve A. Kay

In accordance with Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the "Academy shall make its best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on [a] committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and the Academy determines that the conflict is unavoidable." A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. As specified in the Academy’s policy and procedures (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi/index.html), an objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual’s financial and other interests and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

We have concluded that for the committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established its membership must include among others: members who have experience in using cutting edge technologies for genetics and genomics research, experience in working in industry and academia, and detailed knowledge of the Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP).

To meet the need for this expertise and experience, Dr. Steve A. Kay is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that he has a conflict of interest because he is a subcontractor of a grant from (PGRP). PGRP was initiated as a direct result of the National Plant Genome Initiative. PGRP has supported over 200 projects to date, many of which have co-principal investigators. Dr. Kay’s PGRP subcontract supports the salary of 0.5 full-time equivalent personnel in his laboratory.

As stated in his biographical summary, Dr. Kay is the chair of the Department of Biochemistry at The Scripps Research Institute. Prior to joining Scripps, he founded the Phenomix Corporation and served as Director of Discovery Research at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation. He holds 3 patents and currently serves on the Board of the Center of Gene Research and Biotechnology and as a member of the Sainsbury Laboratory. He is familiar with the use of cutting-edge technologies for measuring transcription in live cells, tissues and intact organisms. We believe that Dr. Kay can serve effectively as a member of the committee and that the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the work.

After an extensive search, we have been unable to find another individual who has the equivalent combination of professional experiences and scientific expertise as Dr. Kay who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this conflict is unavoidable.

Committee Membership Roster Comments

There has been a change in committee membership with the resignation of Dr. Michael Lyncheffective 07/03/2007 and Dr. William F. Tracy effective 09/11/2007.