The comet assay is a fast and versatile method currently used in research on mechanisms of genotoxicity, in biomonitoring, and in chemical testing (both in vivo and in vitro).

Within the COMICS EU-project we are offering a 3-day practical workshop on the basics of comet assays and its use in cytotoxicity testing. The course is held by senior COMICS participants with extensive experience in the field. The focus will be on the basics of the comet assay: how to set up the experiment, how to perform it and how to analyze and interpret the data. Some advanced applications will also be demonstrated.

The course will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to comet assays

• Scoring comet assays: manual and automated analysis

• Technical improvements of the comet assay: How to increase its capacity and reduce the amount of work involved

• Comet assays for measuring DNA repair, oxidative damage and antioxidant effects

• Comet assay as an important tool in DNA-repair studies in plants

• Oxidative and alkylating DNA damage as biomarker in human biomonitoring studies using the modified comet assay

• Identifying single DNA molecules in situ

• Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization on Comets