Human maximisation test

The Human maximisation test (HMT) is a test method for testing for contact allergens. It was first developed by Albert Kligman in 1966The Identification of Contact Allergens by Human Assay III. The Maximization Test: A Procedure for Screening and Rating Contact Sensitizers http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v47/n5/abs/jid1966160a.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707021650/https://www.jidonline.org/ |date=2024-07-07 }} and updated by Kligman and William Epstein in 1975.{{cite journal | last1 = Kligman | first1 = A. M. | last2 = Epstein | first2 = W. | year = 1975 | title = Updating the maximization test for identifying contact allergens | journal = Contact Dermatitis | volume = 1 | issue = 4| pages = 231–239 | doi = 10.1111/j.1600-0536.1975.tb05389.x | pmid = 1235254 | s2cid = 35702783 }} The first paper appeared 1966{{cite journal | last1 = Kligman | first1 = A. M. | year = 1966 | title = The identification of contact allergens by human assay. III. The maximization test: a procedure for screening and rating contact sensitizers | journal = J. Invest. Dermatol. | volume = 47 | issue = 5| pages = 393–409 | pmid = 5924294 | doi = 10.1038/jid.1966.160 | doi-access = free }} and was a citation classic in 1985.{{cite web |title=This Week’s Citation Classic |url=https://garfield.library.upenn.edu/classics1985/A1985AUG6800001.pdf |access-date=5 July 2024 |page=18 |date=December 2, 1985 |archive-date=29 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329112054/https://garfield.library.upenn.edu/classics1985/A1985AUG6800001.pdf |url-status=live }}

The test uses human medical volunteers (usually 25) and sodium laureth sulphate to maximise. Because of the potentially large human reaction, it is generally not considered ethical to use today.{{Cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/consumer_safety/opinions/sccnfp_opinions_97_04/sccp_out102_en.htm|title=Opinion concerning the predictive testing of potentially cutaneous sensiting cosmetic ingredients or mixtures of ingredients adopted by the SCCNFP during the 11th plenary session of 17 February 2000 | Scientific Committees|access-date=21 September 2012|archive-date=7 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707021650/https://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/consumer_safety/opinions/sccnfp_opinions_97_04/sccp_out102_en.htm|url-status=live}} It does not have a guideline under the OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals. It has been compared with the murine local lymph node assay{{cite journal | last=Basketter | first=D.A. | last2=Scholes | first2=E.W. | last3=Kimber | first3=I. | title=The performance of the local lymph node assay with chemicals identified as contact allergens in the human maximization test | journal=Food and Chemical Toxicology | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=32 | issue=6 | year=1994 | issn=0278-6915 | doi=10.1016/0278-6915(94)90112-0 | pages=543–547}}{{cite journal |pmid=19514928 | doi=10.1080/15569520902793627 | volume=28 | issue=2 | title=The local lymph node assay compared with the human maximization test as an indicator of allergic potency in humans using patch test clinic populations | year=2009 | journal=Cutan Ocul Toxicol | pages=61–4 | last1 = Zaghi | first1 = D | last2 = Maibach | first2 = HI| s2cid=35683477 }}