In 1985, the International Commission for the Protection Against Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens (ICPEMC) published a paper entitled "The use of recombinant DNA technology to study gene alteration" (Mekler et al., Mutation Research 153, 11-55). In 1986, ICPEMC was involved in the organization of an ICPEMC-US DOE meeting in Alta, Utah, on "DNA changes in the offspring" (ICPEMC - coordinator M.L. Mendelsohn). In 1991 at the ICPEMC Commission meeting in Harpers Ferry, the chairman of ICPEMC, D. Brusick suggested that ICPEMC would continue to work on the topic that is now (since 1995) called "Mutation Genomics." He reported that he had discussed this idea with J. Wassom to seek whether DOE has an interest in an ICPEMC proposal on such a topic. The proposal would comprise (1) the organization of a workshop(s)/meeting, (2) the selection of speakers and authors for papers (in Mutation Research (MR)) and (3) the preparation of a summary report by the ICPEMC Commission. The commission endorsed this proposal and nominated D. Brusick and P. Pearson to work out and negotiate a more detailed proposal with J. Wassom and DOE.

During the ICPEMC Commission meeting on September 24-28, 1995 in France, ICPEMC prepared a draft proposal to be presented to DOE (and possibly Elsevier) to organize a series of meetings pursuing the transfer of human genomics technology to the assessment of induced and spontaneous mutations in human populations. A group consisting of John Mulvihill (Vice-chairman of ICPEMC), J. Wassom, P. Pearson, T. Cherrington and M. Mendelsohn was formed to prepare a draft plan. An executive summary of the plan was prepared and a new name for the project, "Mutation Genomics," was assigned upon the suggestion of J. Mulvihill.

The draft Executive Summary of the "Mutation Genomics" project was accepted by the Commission. J. Mulvihill was assigned a chairman of an ICPEMC committee that, after further negotiations with DOE and Elsevier, would work out the plans for the involvement of ICPEMC in the organization of such meetings. Further action was delayed until a discussion to be organized in November 1995 in Livermore, CA (USA), between DOE (J. Wassom, A. Carrano), Elsevier/MR (N. Fletcher-Jones, T. Charrington, EME/MR) and ICPEMC (Mendelsohn -on behalf of J. Mulvihill).

(Historical overview prepared by P.H.M. Lohman, chairman ICPEMC, November 1995)