Reflections on the origins and evolution of genetic toxicology and the environmental mutagen society

Abstract

This article traces the development of the field of mutagenesis and its metamorphosis into the research area we now call genetic toxicology. In 1969, this transitional event led to the founding of the Environmental Mutagen Society (EMS). The charter of this new Society was to "encourage interest in and study of mutagens in the human environment, particularly as these may be of concern to public health." As the mutagenesis field unfolded and expanded, new wording appeared to better describe this evolving area of research. The term "genetic toxicology" was coined and became an important subspecialty of the broad area of toxicology. Genetic toxicology is now set for a thorough reappraisal of its methods, goals, and priorities to meet the challenges of the 21st Century. To better understand these challenges, we have revisited the primary goal that the EMS founders had in mind for the Society's main mission and objective, namely, the quantitative assessment of genetic (hereditary) risks to human populations exposed to environmental agents. We also have reflected upon some of the seminal events over the last 40 years that have influenced the advancement of the genetic toxicology discipline and the extent to which the Society's major goal and allied objectives have been achieved. Additionally, we have provided suggestions on how EMS can further advance the science of genetic toxicology in the postgenome era. Any oversight or failure to make proper acknowledgment of individuals, events, or the citation of relevant references in this article is unintentional.

The mutagenesis moonshot: The propitious beginnings of the environmental mutagenesis and genomics society

“…The group elected Hollaender as president, Matthew Meselson as vice-president, Samuel Epstein as secretary, and Marvin Legator as treasurer; the council consisted of Fred de Serres, Ernst Freese, Heinrich Malling, James Crow, and Bruce Ames. By the time of the first council meeting at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, on August 4, 1969(Wassom 1989, the following charges, which Hollaender had given to the committee and some of which were derived from the 1966 NIH conference (Crow 1968), had been implemented: (1) the Environmental Mutagen Information Center (EMIC) had been established, which was the first curated and computerized literature database, preceding PubMed by nearly 30 years; (2) the first issue of the EMS Newsletter had been published (June, 1969); (3) Plenum Press had agreed to publish a set of 10 monographs, which were edited initially by Hollaender and later by him and de Serres (Hollaender 1971(Hollaender -1986; 4 Much of the early history of the Society has been recounted by Wassom (1989), Wassom et al (2010), and Frickel (2004) and is not repeated here. However, several aspects of the first meeting of the Society, which was held at the Sheraton Park Hotel in Washington, DC, on March 22-25, 1970, are worth noting.…”

Remembering Heinrich Malling

“…Heinrich was one of the founders of the Environmental Mutagen Society (EMS), recently renamed the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EMGS), and was a member of the first EMS Council when the Society was founded in 1969. Throughout the Society's early history [Wassom, ; Wassom et al, ], Heinrich was a major contributor of creative ideas and service to promote the aims of the Society.…”

Building on the past, shaping the future: The environmental mutagenesis and genomics society

“…A detailed history of the Environmental Mutagen Society (EMS) has been recounted previously [Wassom, ; Wassom et al, ]. The EMS was founded in 1969 by a group of distinguished scientists that included Alexander Hollaender, Joshua Lederberg, James Crow, James Neel, William Russell, Heinrich Malling, Frederick J. de Serres, and Matthew Meselson (www.emgs-us.org).…”

“…In parallel with regulatory and testing efforts, EMS has always been driven by research into the basic mechanisms of action of mutagens and their many varied effects on organismal biology and human health [Wassom et al, ]. Although initial interests centered on germline mutagenesis, the importance of somatic mutations to the pathogenesis of cancer was soon appreciated.…”