Standardized Comet Assay System Ensures Reproducible Cancer Research Results

The CometAssay® Electrophoresis System and new CometAssay® Neutral Control cells from AMSBIO enable investigators to consistently optimize neutral Comet assays for highly reproducible results, and to standardize neutral electrophoresis methods between individual users and laboratories. This is in addition to the already established standardized procedure and reagents for the alkaline Comet Assay.

The Comet assay is the only direct method for the detection of DNA damage in cells. It is used in cancer research, in genotoxicity studies on environmental mutagens, and for screening compounds for cancer therapeutics. Traditionally results from Comet assays have been variable depending on temperature, distance between electrodes, and buffer height.

However AMSBIO offers a solution to these problems and makes available a novel complete assay system which includes CometSlides™, reagents, control cells and an electrophoresis unit which retains test cells in a uniquely configured electrophoretic field permitting consistent DNA migration patterns, which are critical for standardization of the assay.

CometSlides™, which are available in 2, 20 and 96 well formats, are specially coated with a hydrophobic barrier to allow the easy application of cells in low melting point agarose without base layers or pretreatment. Control cells consisting of four unsynchronized cell preparations with incremental increases of DNA damage are standardized to consistently produce comets with pre-determined percentages of DNA damage. Cells for alkaline and neutral comet assays are now available allowing the standardized study of single or double stranded DNA breaks. Each lot of the control cells, reagents and CometSlides™, supplied by AMSBIO, are tested and qualified for use in the CometAssay® System.