: a test for identifying potential carcinogens by studying their mutagenic effect on bacteria
Examples of Ames test in a Sentence
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To test it, the researchers used a series of three standard tests of genotoxicity –the Ames test, Micronucleus test and Comet assay.
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Emily Earlenbaugh, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Could there be an Ames test for environmental inflammogens?
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
Merck spent at least six months doing its own deep dive to test the drug’s safety, including conducting its own Ames test that also suggested the potential for mutations.
—Betsy McKay, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2021
Years earlier, a standard lab screening assay, called an Ames test, had suggested that the compound might introduce mutations into human DNA as well as viral RNA.
—Betsy McKay, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2021
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Emily Earlenbaugh, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Could there be an Ames test for environmental inflammogens?
—Siddhartha Mukherjee, The New Yorker, 11 Dec. 2023
Merck spent at least six months doing its own deep dive to test the drug’s safety, including conducting its own Ames test that also suggested the potential for mutations.
—Betsy McKay, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2021
Years earlier, a standard lab screening assay, called an Ames test, had suggested that the compound might introduce mutations into human DNA as well as viral RNA.
—Betsy McKay, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Ames test.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ames%20test. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
Ames test
noun
variants
also Ames assay
: 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
Today's Chemist at WorkDimethylnitrosamine … a known animal carcinogen—is usually a potent mutagen in the Ames assay.—Science News
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