Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Inter-laboratory variability in Ames assay results.

M W Knuiman1, N M Laird, T A Louis

  • 1Department of Biostatistics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115.

Mutation Research
|October 1, 1987
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Associations between cardiovascular disease and its risk factors with hearing loss-A cross-sectional analysis.

Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery·2017
Same author

Perceived helpfulness of the individual components of a behavioural weight loss program: results from the Hopkins POWER Trial.

Obesity science & practice·2016
Same author

Evaluation of long-term clinical and health service outcomes following coronary artery revascularisation in Western Australia (WACARP): a population-based cohort study protocol.

BMJ open·2014
Same author

Evidence-based prescribing of drugs for secondary prevention of acute coronary syndrome in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal patients admitted to Western Australian hospitals.

Internal medicine journal·2014
Same author

Patient-reported outcomes in the practice-based opportunities for weight reduction (POWER) trial.

Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation·2013
Same author

Gastro-oesophageal reflux and respiratory symptoms in Busselton adults: the effects of bodyweight and sleep apnoea.

Internal medicine journal·2011
Same journal

Monoallelic germline RAD51C, RAD51D, and BRIP1 variants in hereditary cancer testing: Variant spectrum and clinical counselling implications.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

Prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma associated biomarkers in TP53 gene; A comprehensive in silico analysis.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

IDH1 mutation promotes angiogenesis via upregulation of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha in glial tumors.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

Targeting overexpressed oncogenes in esophageal cancer through miRNA-mediated gene silencing: Insights from binding affinity and thermodynamic profiling.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

The active compound quercetin from Polygonum cuspidatum targets COL3A1 to enhance CD8⁺ T cell cytotoxicity in gastric cancer.

Mutation research·2026
Same journal

E2F1 promotes LIHC malignant phenotype via NEK2-mediated Wnt/β-catenin and Notch activation and EMT.

Mutation research·2026
See all related articles

The Ames test for carcinogenicity screening shows significant variability between labs and days. Standard errors underestimate this variation, suggesting potential improvements are needed for reliable chemical safety assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Toxicology
  • Genotoxicity Testing
  • Chemical Safety Assessment

Background:

  • The Ames test is a standard assay for screening chemical mutagenicity and potential carcinogenicity.
  • Significant inter-laboratory and day-to-day variability in Ames test results complicates accurate risk assessment.
  • Existing standard error calculations may not adequately capture the full extent of this variability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the extent of day-to-day and laboratory-to-laboratory variation in Ames test results.
  • To evaluate the adequacy of reported standard errors in reflecting true assay variability.
  • To investigate the potential of using reference compounds to reduce variability.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from the RTI Collaborative Study of the EPA Ames Test Protocol.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Estimation of inflation factors for standard errors to account for uncaptured variation.
  • Statistical analysis to assess the impact of potential sources of variation (e.g., technician, incubation conditions).

    • Main Results:

    • Reported standard errors significantly underestimate the actual variability in mutagenicity estimates.
    • Inflation factors required to account for inter-day and inter-laboratory variation are substantial.
    • The use of a reference compound, including positive controls or pure chemicals, did not effectively reduce observed variability.

    Conclusions:

    • Current standard error reporting for the Ames test is insufficient to capture critical sources of variability.
    • Day-to-day and laboratory-to-laboratory variations are major contributors to uncertainty in mutagenicity assessments.
    • The proposed method of using a reference compound to mitigate variability was not supported by the data.