Characteristics

• Quality controlled kit including all strains, S9, media, positive controls - no inhouse quality control, no sterility control necessary   
• Certificate of Analysis is provided
• Excel Calculation Sheet to support data Interpretation free of charge
• Compliant with ICH M7 allowing testing for very small quantities of genotoxic impurities, e.g. nitrosamines
• Suitable for volatile test compounds
• Number of tests corresponds to 5 x 480 agar plates.
• Standardized procedure
• Shipped at room temperature from external storage in Germany or from Switzerland
• High sensitivity and excellent correlation with agar plate test (see referenced publications)
• 4 times less test compound as compared to the agar plate test, optimized for screening purposes
• Less hands-on-time and simultaneous processing of several replicates
• Automation available - high throughput
• 3Rs - 12 fold less consumption of rat liver liver S9, significant less test animals sacrificed
• Less error prone due to easy colorimetric read-out
• Waste - Significant less plastic waste and thus reduced contaminated waste in Environment
• Technology transfer available
• Enough material to process strains individually

The Ames test is a bacterial mutation reversion assay which evaluates the mutagenic potential of chemical, pharmaceutical or cosmetic substances, food additives, food packaging material, mixtures, drinking-, waste water or soils. The bacterial strains carry several mutations that inactivate the gene involved in the synthesis of histidine (s.typhimurium) or tryptophan (E.coli), i.e. they grow only in a medium supplemented with either his or trp. Mutagens induce mutations which may restore the ability of the bacteria to re-synthesize the amino acid (his or trp) and to grow in medium without his or trp. Growth of bacteria induces a pH shift which is easily detected by the yellow collor due to the pH-indicator included in the medium.