Du Pont giving $6 million for gene-splice studies

The Du Pont Company is giving Harvard Medical School $6 million for genetic research -- particularly genesplicing -- on the condition the company gets exclusive licenses to market any resulting products. The grant follows a similar 10-year agreement reached last month between the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital and a German drug and chemical conglomerate.

Few products have so far emerged from genetic research. There has been apparent success, however, in experimentation in humans with insulin manufactured by genetically engineered bacteria. In addition, one laboratory recently announced the development -- through the new genetic tinkering -- of a vaccine for the economically important c attle disorder called hoof-and-mouth disease.