The comet assay (CometAssay^®) or single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) is a technique to easily and rapidly detect and quantitate DNA fragmentation associated with DNA damage caused by apoptosis and cytotoxicity and can be used in the field of genotoxicity testing, human biomonitoring, cellular response to DNA damage, and for screening cancer therapeutics..

The complete standardized system of CometSlides™, reagents, control cells and a specially designed electrophoresis unit are lot tested and qualified to minimise inconsistencies in data generated run-to-run, user-to-user, and lab-to-lab enabling a standardized DNA damage assay.

(1) Cells are mixed with low melting point agarose and (2) immobilised on CometSlides™. (3) Cells are lysed to remove membranes and DNA associated proteins before (4) alkaline treatment to unwind and denature DNA. (5) During electrophoresis, damaged, unwound, relaxed DNA migrates out of the cell and can be visualized using SYBR^® Green.

	Download our Technical Presentation about CometAssay®
	Download the CometAssay® Brochure

Please also see our FLARE™ (Fragment Length Analysis using Repair Enzymes) add-on assays and consumables for the ability to detect the type of DNA damage using DNA repair enzymes.

Features:

• CometAssay^® Electrophoresis System
  • An acrylic overlay on top of the elevated slide tray maintains optimal buffer height for DNA migration.
  • A constant buffer temperature is maintained using a water chamber to cool the tempered glass slide platform and buffer chamber.
  • Smoke grey colored unit minimizes exposure to UV light.
  • Specially designed slide trays accommodate 2, 20 and 96 well slides and maintain proper slide orientation during electrophoresis.
  • Highly reproducible results
• CometSlides™
  • Multiple sample surfaces: 2 well, 20 well and 96 wells
  • Allow direct application of CometAssay LMAgarose without base layers or pretreatment.
  • A hydrophobic barrier allows easy application of cells directly to slide, and treatment with any of several DNA repair enzymes.
• CometAssay^® Control cells
  • Four unsynchronized cell preparations with incremental increases of DNA damage
  • Standardised to consistently produce comets with pre-determined percentages of DNA damage

Products:

• CometAssay^® Starter Kits
  • Complete kit including Electrophoresis Unit (also available separately), CometAssay^® kit and Control cells
  • 2 well, 20 well and 96 well kits available. [Search for all Starter kits and select the power supply for your country]


• Consumables
  • CometAssay^®: 2 well slide kit, 20 well (High throughput) kit, 96 well slide kit, Silver kit.
  • CometSlides™: 2 well slides, 20 well (HT) slides, 96 well slides.
  • Control cells: *NEW* Neutral assay control cells, Alkaline assay control cells,