The Environmental Mutagen Society (EMS) was founded in 1969 to provide a forum for theestablishment and support of scientists in the field of environmental mutagenesis. The missionof the Society is (1) to foster scientific research and education on the causes and mechanisticbases of DNA damage and repair, mutagenesis, heritable effects, epigenetic alterations ingenome function, and their relevance to disease, and (2) to promote the application andcommunication of this knowledge to genetic toxicology testing, risk assessment, and regulatorypolicy-making to protect human health and the environment.For the past 40 years, EMS members have made many of the most important discoveriespertaining to the mechanisms of the induction of mutations, the roles of DNA repair defects andresulting mutations in toxicology and disease susceptibility, and the challenges of assessingrisks from environmental exposures to mutagens.Recognizing the importance of its diverse mix of professionals to exchange ideas and the latestexperimental findings, the EMS held its first meeting in Washington, DC on March 22-25, 1970,and has continued this tradition by providing a venue for these professionals to meet annually.Each year, the EMS Annual Meeting Program Committee strives to represent the full spectrumof strengths of the Society, encompassing most of the areas of current research that convergeon the issues of environmental exposure and how cells and organisms respond to suchchallenges. In this proposal, we are requesting funds to defray part of the expenses for 2009 -2013 EMS Annual Meetings.The 2009 Program Committee of the EMS arranged for an outstanding and expansive scientificprogram that includes 17 symposia, 2 Saturday workshops, 5 plenary lectures, 2 postersessions, and 4 platform sessions. In addition to the scientific program, the Annual Meeting willconvene 8 Special Interest Groups (SIGS) that have the responsibility of identifying fore-frontspeakers and topics for the 2010 and subsequent meetings.
The integration of multi-disciplinary basic and applied research on mechanisms and consequences of responses to genotoxic agents is crucial to informed regulatory decision-making with respect to environmental health hazards. Such integration remains the central focus of the EMS, and the Annual Meetings are key to the dissemination of information and fostering of interactions that are necessary for individuals who are responsible for making regulatory based decisions.
