A perspective on the development of the Ames Salmonella/mammalian-microsome mutagenicity assay.

This Virtual Special Issue of Mutation Research is dedicated to Professor Bruce N. Ames in recognition of his 90 birthday in December 2018. His pioneering work in the field of chemical mutagenesis resulted in the well-known Ames Salmonella/mammalian-microsome mutagenicity assay that has played a pivotal role since the 1970s in the field of genetic toxicology. The assay is usually referred to as the Ames test and was gradually developed by improving the sensitivity of the test based on available scientific discoveries. When a chemical is determined to be a mutagen in the Ames test it has the potential of also being a carcinogen based on the somatic mutation theory of carcinogenesis. For nearly 20 years, I was responsible for running the Ames mutagenicity testing laboratory at SRI International on a contractual basis with commercial and government funding. Now I feel privileged having been given the opportunity to provide a historical overview of how the Ames test was developed.