バイオ研究者・大学院生のための簡単な英語文例集
細胞をもらうとき： MTAフォームを巡ってのやりとりです。この例のように、施設の代表同士がフォームを取り交わす公式な契約タイプをとる場合もあります。といっても、アメリカではシステムが整っていますので、多くの場合、手続きはとてもスムーズです。以下の文例からその辺のいきさつを理解してください。

細胞を送ってもらうための許可を、アメリカの研究者から受け取るため、ＭＴＡフォームが必要になりました。以下は、この時のやりとりの内容です。すべて、E-メールで進めました。

RE: request for the MTA form for ＊＊＊　cells
My research group at the Dept. Molecular Medicine, Sapporo Medical University is engaged in establishing therapeutic strategies in regenerative medicine combined with genetic transduction.

We have been involved in establishing cell lines by primary cultures from surgical samples of various human tissues, including skin, neural tissue, bone marrow, and liver.  Although we have succeeded in generating some murine cell lines using SV40 large T gene transduction (Mano Y, et al., Differentiated phenotypes of cultured mouse cholangiocytes transformed by a temperature-sensitive mutant T antigen of Simian virus 40. Lab. Invest.  78(11):1467-1468, 1998), it has been quite difficult for us to generate human ＊＊＊ cell lines from primary culture.  In this context, I got very much interested in your recent works describing the creation of a human ＊＊＊cell line, with defined genetic elements, thatis, *****.   It would be greatly helpful for us if we could use your ＊＊＊ cell line, ＊＊＊, in our basic studies in regenerative medicine.  

I got contact with Dr. *****, who told me to write you a request for a material transfer agreement (MTA) form.  I would be grateful if you could send us the form at your earliest convenience.（注１）  For transportation, if necessary, please feel free to use my FEDEX account number (#24430*****).  Under your permission, we would like to get ***** cells sent to us from Dr. *****.   

Thank you in advance for your help （注２）and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

（注２）あらかじめありがとうというのも、よく使う表現ですが、やや押し付けがましく、あとでお礼をいうのを面倒がっているようにとられるとのこと。今後は別の表現にしてみたいと思います。

＊＊＊＊＊
上の手紙に対する返事の文例です。
I have forwarded your request to our intellectual property office.　　＊＊＊, from that office, should contact you regarding the MTA. Please let me know if you have not heard from her in the next 10 days.

さらに数日後に以下のようなメールが届きました。

I have received your request for use of Dr. ***'s *** cells and haveforwarded it to Dr. *** in the Intellectual Property Office at　U***.  Dr. *** will be your contact for these cells - please contact him at ***@*** or **** if you have not received a draft material transfer agreement within the next week.

書類が回った先のAssistant Dean U*** & Director, Intellectual Property Officeから、以下のような返事が届きました。

Our office will prepare a draft of the MTA you request.   Before we draftand email an MTA to you I need the following information:1. For what scientific purpose are you using the hepatocytes (please limityour response to 3 or 4 sentences)?      Because the scope of your research interests noted below is rather broad, it would help us to focus a little more on the area of work you want to pursue with our ＊＊＊.　2. What is your shipping address where the ＊＊＊ should be sent ?　3.  If you do not have the authority to sign the MTA for your institution, what is the address/phone number of the office and/or university official who will sign the MTA on your end?  There will also be a place for the principal investigator to sign the MTA document.　I will email a draft of the MTA document after we receive the above information.  If you have questions about wording in the draft document, please respond with an email summarizing your concerns.  If not, please sign the document and forward to me via surface mail.  Upon receipt, I will forward a copy to Dr ＊＊＊ alerting him that the ＊＊＊ can be sent to you.　I will check withDr＊＊＊ here but there should be no problem in your obtaining the cells from Dr ＊＊＊at ＊＊＊ University once the MTA paper work is in place.  We can expedite this process via email and fax.

＊＊＊＊＊

より詳細な実験の記述が求められました。ビジネスライクに、箇条書きにしてみました。

Re: request for the *** cells
Dear Dr. ***,
Thank you for your prompt response.  The followings are the informations which you requested for the MTA form.  If you need further information, please let me know.  I look forward to receiving the MTA documents.  Thank you again for your cooperation.　　Sincerely,

以下に箇条書きにして答えました。簡潔な方が相手もありがたいでしょう。しかし、あまり簡単すぎては、相手の要望に応えたことになりませんし、あまり限局した表現だと、実験が少しでも進展したときにもう一度許可を得る必要が生じます。これはお互い余分な手間がかかってしまいます。そこで、これから行う実験のことをよく考えて、うまくカバーするような書き方を工夫する必要があります。
1. Scientific purpose:The human ＊＊＊ line will be used in our basic studies in regenerative medicine.  Initial specific purposes are as follows:　a) The cells will be used as target cells in the models for ＊＊＊ inflammatory response in vitro , which are caused by immune cells or reagents such as alcohol and viruses. 　b) Molecular and cellular mechanisms will be analyzed in the situations described above.
2. Shipping address: ***
3. The authority to sign the MTA for my institution is:Dr. ***The principal investigator is:  ***このぐらいの表現で、これからやりたいことがだいたいはいっているように思います。

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