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In Vitro Comet Assay for Testing Genotoxicity of Chemicals

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Optimization in Drug Discovery

Part of the book series: Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology ((MIPT))

Abstract

The Comet assay, also known as the single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, is widely applied as one of the standard methods to assess DNA damage caused by a range of DNA damaging agents. The unique aspect of this method is its ability to detect DNA damage in individual cells. During the last 2 decades, the Comet assay has been used in a broad variety of applications, including genotoxicity testing, human biomonitoring, ecological monitoring, clinical studies, and as a tool for detection of DNA damage in different cell types. Comet assay protocols have been adopted and optimized by many laboratories around the world. In this chapter, the authors provide an example of in vitro Comet assay (neutral and alkaline) application with detailed procedures used in their laboratory for the analysis and interpretation of Comet assay data.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank Dayton Petibone and Yan Li for the critical review of the manuscript. Use of trade names is for informational purpose only and in no way implies endorsement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The views presented in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. FDA.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Genetic and Molecular Toxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Jefferson, AR, USA

    Haixia Lin & Nan Mei

  2. Division of Genetic and Molecular, Toxicology National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Jefferson, AR, USA

    Mugimane G. Manjanatha

Authors
  1. Haixia Lin
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  2. Nan Mei
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  3. Mugimane G. Manjanatha
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. CREATe Core Science Technologies, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA

    Gary W. Caldwell

  2. CREATe Core Science Technologies, Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA

    Zhengyin Yan

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Lin, H., Mei, N., Manjanatha, M.G. (2014). In Vitro Comet Assay for Testing Genotoxicity of Chemicals. In: Caldwell, G., Yan, Z. (eds) Optimization in Drug Discovery. Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-742-6_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-742-6_31

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-62703-741-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-62703-742-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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