Disclaimer
This commentary discusses my work experience at or with several different institutions. The opinions expressed are my own and do not represent policy or practice in any official or unofficial context. Trade names mentioned do not represent endorsements.
ABSTRACT
I am honored to receive the 2023 Hollaender Award, for achievements in “application of the principles and techniques of environmental mutagenesis to the protection of human health”. People may assume that a career in applied science might not be as exciting or impactful as basic research. I hope my career “adventures” into environmental science, carcinogen investigations and photobiology, as well as publications in Nature and Science, will counter this assumption. The narrative is described in terms of “mentors” whose advice had a lasting impact: “come early and work hard” (meanwhile, have fun); “think instead of/while screening” (i.e. performing mundane tasks); “avoid the big boo-boo”; “just go in the lab and do experiments”; “become an expert”. Many of the most critical events in science and in life are “random”, as demonstrated by accidental adventures that led to scientific as well as life-altering personal realizations. Adventures included forays into nitrosamine mutagenicity, nanomaterial assessment, germ cell mutagenic risk, bacterial mutagenicity assays, genotoxicity of cell phone radiation, personalized cancer prevention, and >25 years in regulatory safety assessment at FDA: review of genotoxicity data, experiments in the lab, and collaboration with others to foster better analyses of DNA damaging agents, generally in relation to cancer risk. Finally, with my work and that of my lifelong tripmate William Lijinsky as models, I suggest that a “non-hypothesis driven”, open-ended approach to research can be path-breaking and forefront.
INTRODUCTION
I am honored to receive the 2023 Hollaender Award, for achievements in “application of the principles and techniques of environmental mutagenesis to the protection of human health”. Thank you EMGS supporters, mentors and colleagues over many decades.
During my career I’ve been an awardee of EMS/EMGS travel and service awards and served as newsletter editor, secretary, journal editorial board member, program chair and president. I edited issues of the society’s journal, initiated the special interest groups (SIGS) and created the EMS video for the 25th anniversary. Thus, EMGS has been a long- standing part of my scientific life.
With this review of my personal adventures as a genetic toxicologist, I want to recognize the unsung heroes of genotoxicity and carcinogenicity safety assessments, those in the contract labs, regulatory agencies, and national laboratories. Especially I want to demonstrate the value and surprising outcomes of seemingly routine genetic toxicology work. While working, if you keep your mind open and your brain turned on, you can discover amazing things. This is only following on the oldest traditions of scientific inquiry and observation as practiced by early scientists but seems lost in contemporary science. Notably, this is not hypothesis-driven research. It’s applied research and it’s anything but dull. The most interesting discoveries were often random and unexpected.
This presentation is focused on the advice of mentors, followed by demonstration of how important these recommendations turned out to be for my career, a fact I realize only now.
COMMENTARY