1. VITO – Sustainable Health & Hasselt University
hCOMET COST ACTION CA15132 – international network of researchers who are using comet assay in human biomonitoring studies
Sabine Langie
MC Member of hCOMET
WG leader
VITO – Sustainable Health & Hasselt University

2. Comet assay - + Exposure to endogenous or exogenous chemicals
cells embedded in gel
Incubation at 37°C
with lesion specific enzymes
Nucleoids containing DNA lesions
Cell lysis - +
Denaturation / electrophoresis
Analyze comets

3. DNA damage over time
Time
hCOMET COST ACTION CA15132

4. Applications Human biomonitoring Human biomonitoring
Koppen et al.; The next three decades of the comet assay: a report of the 11th International Comet Assay Workshop. Mutagenesis 2017 gex002. doi: /mutage/gex002

5. Before hCOMET-COST

6. Before hCOMET-COST
hCOMET COST ACTION CA15132

7. Network of proposers

9. Technical innovations & implementation
COST Action Working groups
WG8
Technical innovations & implementation
hCOMET COST ACTION CA15132

10. Innovation
hCOMET COST ACTION CA15132

11. 20 countries and more with Cuba and India with MC Observers
hcomet.org
Management Committee Observers

12. “What is the added value of participating in a COST Action”

13. “What is the added value of participating in a COST Action”

14. “What is the added value of participating in a COST Action”

15. “What is the added value of participating in a COST Action”
Work hard – play hard 
hCOMET COST ACTION CA15132

16. Networking is the key to success!!!
“What is the added value of participating in a COST Action”
Remember: “you are just as strong as your team”!
Networking is the key to success!!!
hCOMET COST ACTION CA15132

17. Sabine Langie, VITO, Belgium
hcomet.org
Sabine Langie, VITO, Belgium