Definition of Ames test
:a test for identifying potential carcinogens by studying their mutagenic effect on bacteria
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Origin and Etymology of ames test
Bruce N. Ames born1928 American biochemist
Medical Dictionary
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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