Comet assay
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The single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE),also called Comet assay, is a means of measuring DNA damage in individual cells, particularly DNA strand breaks.
A cell is embedded in agar and exposed to a DNA-damaging agent such as UV radiation or a chemical mutagen. The cell is then permeabilized by adding detergent and an electric field applied. If the cell's genomic DNA has been broken into small fragments then these fragments move out of the cell by electrophoresis and form a streak or "tail" leading away of the cell. This looks a bit like a comet, hence the name of the assay.
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