AMES Mutagenicity Assays

The AMES-test is a screening test that is used to help identify chemicals that affect the structure of DNA.

Specific growth characteristics of salmonella bacterias are used as a test indicator. The Assumption is made that changes in bacterial growth after exposure to the sample material are caused by mutations in a specific region of the bacterial DNA. Many substances that cause these kind of mutations in the AMES-test, may also have a carcinogenic effect in humans and animals.