The Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EMGS) is a scientific society "for the promotion of critical scientific knowledge and research into the causes and consequences of damage to the

genome In the fields of molecular biology and genetics, a genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding ge ...

and

epigenome An epigenome consists of a record of the chemical changes to the DNA and histone proteins of an organism; these changes can be passed down to an organism's offspring via transgenerational stranded epigenetic inheritance. Changes to the epigenome ...

in order to inform and support national and international efforts to ensure a healthy, sustainable environment for future generations." The society promotes scientific research into the causes of DNA damage and

repair The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure, and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installa ...

and the relevance of these to disease. It also promotes the application and communication of this knowledge, especially through education, to help protect human health and the environment.

History

The society, originally founded as the Environmental Mutagen Society (EMS) was formed in the

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

in 1969 by Drs.

Alexander Hollaender Alexander Hollaender (9 December 1898 – 6 December 1986) was one of the world's leading researchers in radiation biology and in genetic mutations. In 1983 he was given the Enrico Fermi Award by the United States Department of Energy for his cont ...

Joshua Lederberg Joshua () or Yehoshua ( ''Yəhōšuaʿ'', Tiberian: ''Yŏhōšuaʿ,'' lit. 'Yahweh is salvation') ''Yēšūaʿ''; syr, ܝܫܘܥ ܒܪ ܢܘܢ ''Yəšūʿ bar Nōn''; el, Ἰησοῦς, ar , يُوشَعُ ٱبْنُ نُونٍ '' Yūšaʿ ...

, James Crow,

Ernst Freese Dr. Ernst Freese (September 27, 1925 - March 30, 1990) was a molecular biologist who worked on the mechanism of mutations in DNA. From 1962 until his death he was Chief of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Labora ...

James Neel James Van Gundia Neel (March 22, 1915 – February 1, 2000) was an American geneticist who played a key role in the development of human genetics as a field of research in the United States. He made important contributions to the emergence of gen ...

, William Russell, Heinrich Malling, Frederick J. de Serres,

Matthew Meselson Matthew Stanley Meselson (born May 24, 1930) is a geneticist and molecular biologist currently at Harvard University, known for his demonstration, with Franklin Stahl, of semi-conservative DNA replication. After completing his Ph.D. under Linus ...

, and others. The initial aim was to support the study of environmental

mutagenesis Mutagenesis () is a process by which the genetic information of an organism is changed by the production of a mutation. It may occur spontaneously in nature, or as a result of exposure to mutagens. It can also be achieved experimentally using la ...

, originally in germ-cell mutagenesis, but the scope soon expanded to include all areas of mutagenesis, including

mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mi ...

al mechanisms, test methods,

molecular epidemiology Molecular epidemiology is a branch of epidemiology and medical science that focuses on the contribution of potential genetic and environmental risk factors, identified at the molecular level, to the etiology, distribution and prevention of disease ...

biomarker In biomedical contexts, a biomarker, or biological marker, is a measurable indicator of some biological state or condition. Biomarkers are often measured and evaluated using blood, urine, or soft tissues to examine normal biological processes, ...

s, and

risk assessment Broadly speaking, a risk assessment is the combined effort of: # identifying and analyzing potential (future) events that may negatively impact individuals, assets, and/or the environment (i.e. hazard analysis); and # making judgments "on the to ...

. As a result of this change in scope, in 2012 the society's name was changed to better encompass the broadened reach of the organization.

Activities and achievements

In 1969, the EMS established the Environmental Mutagen Information Center (EMIC) at the

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is a U.S. multiprogram science and technology national laboratory sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and administered, managed, and operated by UT–Battelle as a federally funded research and ...

, which developed the first

bibliographic database A bibliographic database is a database of bibliographic records, an organized digital collection of references to published literature, including journal and newspaper articles, conference proceedings, reports, government and legal publications, p ...

on environmental mutagenesis, facilitating research throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, particularly the development of tests for genetic toxicology, through the establishment of a register of substances tested for toxicity. This, in turn, contributed significantly to the GENE-TOX program, established by Drs. Angela Auletta and Michael D. Waters at the US EPA and it now forms part of

TOXNET The Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) is a toxicology database on the U.S. National Library of Medicine's (NLM) Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET). It focuses on the toxicology of potentially hazardous chemicals, and includes information on hum ...

. During the early 1970s, the society played a significant part in the development of the US

Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is a United States law, passed by the 94th United States Congress in 1976 and administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that regulates chemicals not regulated by other U.S. ...

, enabling the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

to include mutagenicity data in regulatory decisions. The EMS "Committee 17", chaired by

John W. Drake John W. Drake (February 10, 1932 – February 2, 2020) was an United States of America, American microbiologist and geneticist, working for over half a century in the field of mutagenesis and DNA repair. Education and early career He completed ...

, published an influential position paper; “Environmental Mutagenic Hazards”, in

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

in 1975. This described the research needs and regulatory responsibility for managing potential mutagenic compounds in the environment. It influenced research direction, regulatory procedures and mutagenicity testing within industry.

Publications

In 1970 the EMS established the book series "Chemical Mutagens: Principles and Methods for Their Detection" and the first volume was published in the following year. This has included a number of influential papers, from the first by Dr.

Bruce N. Ames Bruce Nathan Ames (born December 16, 1928) is an American biochemist. He is a professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, and was a senior scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research I ...

on the Salmonella (Ames) mutagenicity assay. In 1979, the EMS began publishing its own journal, ''Environmental Mutagenesis'', renamed ''Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis'' in 1987.

Meetings

The society has met annually since its formation. The next annual meeting will be the 54th and will be held in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, September 9–13, 2023.

Awards and honors

The EMS makes three major awards. Every year it awards the ''EMS Award'' in recognition of "outstanding research contributions in the area of environmental mutagenesis" and the ''Alexander Hollaender Award'' in recognition of "outstanding contributions in the application of the principles and techniques of environmental mutagenesis to the protection of human health". From time to time it also awards the ''EMS Service Award'' in recognition of "long-standing dedication and service to the Society". The EMS also makes a number of student and travel awards to promote and support the interests of the society.

Collaboration and partnership

The EMS is a member organisation of the International Association of Environmental Mutagen Societies (IAEMS) and the

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) is a non-profit organization that is the principal umbrella organization of U.S. societies in the field of biological and medical research. This organization organizes academi ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Environmental Mutagen Society 1969 establishments in the United States Biology organizations Genetics societies Organizations established in 1969 Medical and health organizations based in Florida