Definition of Ames test
: a test for identifying potential carcinogens by studying their mutagenic effect on bacteria
From the M-W Editors
Origin and Etymology of ames test
Bruce N. Ames born1928 American biochemist
First Known Use: 1976
Medical Dictionary
Ames test
playAmes assay
Medical Definition of Ames test
: a test for identifying potential carcinogens by studying the frequency with which they cause histidine-producing genetic mutants in bacterial colonies of the genus Salmonella (S. typhimurium) initially lacking the ability to synthesize histidine The compound … produced the highest score ever reported in an Ames test, a standard measure of the cancer-causing potential of toxic chemicals.—Today's Chemist at Work, December 1997 Dimethylnitrosamine … a known animal carcinogen—is usually a potent mutagen in the Ames assay.—Science News, 16 July 1988
Biographical Note for ames test
Ames
, Bruce Nathan
(born 1928), American biochemist. In 1976 Ames devised his test for carcinogenesis of a substance.
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