COMPASS: Comet Object Measurement Pipeline with Automated Selection and Scoring

2026-10-03

AI Summary

This study addresses the labor-intensive manual processing, poor reproducibility, and susceptibility to morphological interference in comet assay image analysis by proposing a deep learning-based automated framework for DNA damage assessment. The proposed method integrates deep learning segmentation with an ensemble-based transparent automated scoring algorithm, supplemented by an optional manual review mechanism, to achieve precise identification and standardized quantification of comet targets. This work significantly reduces the burden of manual intervention while enhancing detection robustness and result reproducibility, thereby providing a reliable automated solution for DNA damage measurement. The associated source code has been made publicly available.

Abstract

Summary: The single-cell gel electrophoresis ('comet') assay is a widely used technique for quantifying DNA damage at the individual cell level. However, image analysis often relies on manual inspection or semi-automated software, which can be labor-intensive, difficult to reproduce, and sensitive to image quality and comet morphology. COMPASS automates comet assay image analysis by combining deep learning-based comet segmentation with damage measurement and automated comet selection. The pipeline produces standardized DNA damage measurements while offering robust detection, reducing manual effort and improving reproducibility through transparent selection and optional manual review. Availability and implementation: COMPASS is implemented in Python and is freely available at https://github.com/ rsinghlab/COMPASS. Installation instructions, pretrained weights, and example usage are provided in the repository. Contact: [e-mail], [e-mail] Supplementary information: Available onlime upon publication.

Problem

• comet assay
• DNA damage
• image analysis
• single-cell gel electrophoresis
• reproducibility

Innovation

• Deep learning segmentation
• Automated image analysis
• Comet assay
• DNA damage quantification
• Pipeline automation