Comet Assay IV used as a biomonitoring tool for DNA damage

Perceptive Instruments have a new case study on the use of Comet Assay IV, contributed by the Centre of Occupational and Environmental Health (CSAO), an operative unit of the Portuguese National Institute of Health (INSA). The CSAO's primary function is to study the health impact of environmental factors, mainly in occupational environments.

CSAO began using the comet assay in 2005 primarily to assess the genotoxic potential of chemicals such as formaldehyde to which pathology and anatomy staff are exposed. The comet assay is widely used as a biomonitoring tool for DNA damage due to it's versatility and relative simplicity.

Due to it's extreme sensitivity the comet assay detects DNA damage at very low exposure levels. These characteristics make the assay suitable for analyzing cells such as leucocytes, exfoliated bladder cells, nasal and buccal epithelial cells leading to improved assessment of human exposure.

The group chose Comet Assay IV to score slides because of it's ability to provide rapid scoring using one-click capture and analysis, automatic computation of the main parameters and storage of images and data. Statistical analysis of data is performed with the Spreadsheet Generator Excel macro supplied with Comet Assay IV.