The comet assay is a widely used test for the detection of DNA damage and repair activity. However, there are interlaboratory differences in reported levels of baseline and induced damage in the same experimental systems. These differences may be attributed to protocol differences, although it is difficult to identify the relevant conditions because detailed comet assay procedures are not always published. Here, we present a Consensus Statement for the Minimum Information for Reporting Comet Assay (MIRCA) providing recommendations for describing comet assay conditions and results. These recommendations differentiate between ‘desirable’ and ‘essential’ information: ‘essential’ information refers to the precise details that are necessary to assess the quality of the experimental work, whereas ‘desirable’ information relates to technical issues that might be encountered when repeating the experiments. Adherence to MIRCA recommendations should ensure that comet assay results can be easily interpreted and independently verified by other researchers.

彗星试验是一种广泛使用的检测 DNA 损伤和修复活性的试验。然而，在相同的实验系统中，报告的基线水平和诱导损伤水平存在实验室间差异。这些差异可能归因于协议差异，尽管很难确定相关条件，因为详细的彗星检测程序并不总是公布。在这里，我们提出了一份彗星检测报告最低信息 (MIRCA) 的共识声明，为描述彗星检测条件和结果提供了建议。这些建议区分了“理想”和“基本”信息：“基本”信息是指评估实验工作质量所必需的精确细节，而“理想”信息与重复实验时可能遇到的技术问题有关。遵守 MIRCA 建议应确保彗星检测结果可以很容易地被其他研究人员解释和独立验证。