As part of its continuing mission to ensure the safety of fragrance ingredients, the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials has incorporated early screening with BlueScreen into its genotoxicity profiling regime.
RIFM is a non-profit research institute whose purpose is to gather and analyse scientific data, engage in testing and evaluation, distribute information, cooperate with official agencies and to encourage uniform safety standards related to the use of fragrance ingredients. To meet these goals, RIFM takes advantage of recent innovations in risk assessment methodology. The use of BlueScreen HC provides accurate, sensitive results that are efficiently integrated into RIFM's testing cascade and enable more efficient fragrance material evaluation. BlueScreen HC is a highly specific, sensitive human cell-based assay used to screen chemicals for their potential to cause damage to DNA: a property known as genotoxicity. Based on technology already used in the pharmaceutical industry, BlueScreen HC is used to provide a rapid assessment of potential hazard across diverse chemical collections in the assessment of new chemicals that are candidates for development. The assay evaluates the up-regulation of a key gene's, GADD45a, response to a chemical that causes damage to, or interferes with, DNA. It measures the luminescence generated from the enzyme gaussia luciferase from the marine crustacean Gaussia princeps. The gene is incorporated into the human TK6 cells used in the assay and linked to GADD45a production. RIFM and the originators of BlueScreen HC, Gentronix Limited are working closely on the assessment of fragrance materials for use in a wide range of consumer products. "We found BlueScreen HC to be a very useful tool in our fragrance material evaluation process," said RIFM president, Dr David Wilcox.
