Comet Assay
This software product was developed to automate the Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis comet assay.The comet assay (also called single cell gel electrophoresis assay) allows the detection and the quantification of a broad spectrum of DNA damage induced by various agents in any individual cells. Using the alkaline version of the test, single and double strand breaks can be detected as well as alkali-labile and incomplete excision repair sites. Comet assay can be used to evaluate DNA repair capacity after irradiation or chemical exposure. Specific base modifications can also be detected after conversion into strand breaks by purified DNA repair enzymes. The wide spread applications of comet assay increase exponentially affecting many scientific disciplines such as genetic toxicology for in vitro and in vivo studies, as well as bio-monitoring, clinical and environmental researches. It is a very rapid, sensitive, cost-effective and easy test to perform, and more and more international laboratories use image processing techniques to analyze comets. Well-known laboratories are already using this software product (Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments, International Agency for Research on Cancer, etc.). |
Comet Assay Screenshot |
The software product provides a very user friendly user interface to analyze images, with the capability to export measurements in a spreadsheet. It is capable of automatically segmenting images, analyzing the nucleus and the shape of the tail, and automatically discriminating between normal, damaged, and highly damaged cells. Very few parameters are set by the user prior the processing of multiple images.
The product includes:
- The detection of the head and the tail of the comet
- The detection of the apoptotic cells
- The computation of statistical measurements for the comet and the apoptoses
- The computation of the moment of the tail
The Comet Assay Benefits are:
It is the only product to detect highly damaged cells. Analysis is independent of the initial electric field. The user can eliminate noise in the background and discriminate touching cells. Full calibration is provided with support of non-square acquisition. Users are able to parse cells into classes and all measurements are exported in a spreadsheet for further analysis. A graphical display consisting of an outline of the tail and the head allow fast result verification.
The software was developed in partnership with the "Centre de Lutte contre le Cancer F. Baclesse" and the "Groupe de Recherche en Informatique, Image, et Instrumentation de Caen (GREYC)". It could be adapted to meet your specific requirements.