Genetic activity profiles and pattern recognition in test battery selection

Computer-generated genetic activity profiles and pairwise matching procedures may aid in the selection of the most appropriate short-term bioassays to be used in test batteries for the evaluation of the genotoxicity of a given chemical or group of chemicals. Selection of test batteries would be based on a quantitative comparative assessment of the past performance of similar tests applied to other chemicals of the same structural group. The information potentially available for test-battery selection through the use of this pattern-recognition technique is considerably greater than the qualitative results obtained from individual short-term tests. Application of the method should further our understanding of the relationships between chemical properties and genotoxic responses obtained in short-term bioassays and also may contribute to our knowledge of the mechanisms of complex processes such as carcinogenesis. This approach to battery selection should be augmented by careful consideration of established principles of genetic toxicity testing; that is, a chemical should be evaluated in a battery of tests representing the full range of relevant genetic endpoints.