Tumor Viruses: 1974

As is usual for Cold Spring Harbor meetings, this was the right meeting at the right time. There were enough half-completed experiments to leave something to think about and enough completed experiments to generate a sense of satisfaction. The major focus of the meeting was on the molecular biology of tumor viruses, while the problem of how tumor viruses can cause tumors was hardly mentioned at all. It is clear that within a very few years the molecular biology of tumor viruses will be understood in great detail. Hopefully, then, the groundwork will exist from which to consider how these viruses can cause tumors.