High-throughput screening method for DNA-damaging substances

Researchers from the University of Leicester, in collaboration with electrophoresis company Cleaver Scientific, have developed a high-throughput method of performing the Comet Assay - a sensitive technique for the detection of DNA damage in individual cells.

The Comet Assay, also known as single-cell gel electrophoresis, is being increasingly used as a method of assessing substances - including drugs and cosmetics - that could pose a potential risk to human or environmental health by causing damage to DNA. But as demand for comet screening has increased, sample throughput has become a limiting factor.

“Like many other labs, we use the Comet Assay routinely in our research, but we have always been frustrated by the current process, which is laborious and time consuming,” said Dr Marcus Cooke, the lead inventor of the new process. “Our new electrophoresis method allows us to increase the number of test samples on a given run by up to tenfold and to complete the assay in less than half the time of the traditional comet process.”

Example DNA ‘comets’ from the high-throughput system. Undamaged DNA remains in the cell nucleus (seen as a dense bright spot). Damaged DNA is preferentially pulled out of the cell by the electrophoresis process and appears as a comet tail. A measure of the DNA damage caused by a particular chemical can be calculated by treating an individual cell with different concentrations of the chemical of interest and then comparing the amount of damaged DNA in the comet tail to the amount remaining in the comet head.

The university teamed up with Cleaver Scientific for the development and commercialisation of the high-throughput system. Cleaver Scientific Managing Director Adrian Cleaver said the company “worked with Dr Cooke and his team to develop a range of compact, benchtop systems” - the first of which is now being launched commercially.

“Partnering early with Cleaver has allowed us to move from a simple prototype to a market-ready product in just a few months,” explained Dr James Lapworth, senior licensing and commercialisation manager at the University of Leicester. “We are now excited to see the impact that this new approach will have on the important field of DNA damage and toxicology testing.”

The COMPAC-50 TP Comet Assay Tank is available to purchase from Cleaver Scientific. Dr Lapworth described the device as “a great example of a new and innovative product arising from the pursuit of fundamental research”. 

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