University of the Republic 3 articles published in JoVE Cancer Research An Automated Microscopic Scoring Method for the γ-H2AX Foci Assay in Human Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes Shankari Nair1, Samantha Cairncross2, Xanthene Miles1, Monique Engelbrecht3, Peter du Plessis1, Julie Bolcaen1, Randall Fisher1, Roya Ndimba1, Charnay Cunningham4, Wilner Martínez-López5, Christian Schunck6, Charlot Vandevoorde1 1Radiation Biophysics Division, Nuclear Medicine Department, iThemba LABS, 2Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, 3Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape, 4Division of Medical Physiology, Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, 5Biodosimetry Service, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable and Academic Unit on Radiation Protection, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Republic, 6MetaSystems Hard & Software GmbH This protocol presents the slide preparation and automated scoring of the γ-H2AX foci assay on peripheral blood lymphocytes. To illustrate the method and sensitivity of the assay, isolated lymphocytes were irradiated in vitro. This automated method of DNA DSB detection is useful for fast and high-throughput biological dosimetry applications. Cancer Research How to Study Basement Membrane Stiffness as a Biophysical Trigger in Prostate Cancer and Other Age-related Pathologies or Metabolic Diseases Mercedes Rodriguez-Teja1, Claudia Breit2, Mitchell Clarke3, Kamil Talar3, Kai Wang3, Mohammad A. Mohammad3, Sage Pickwell3, Guillermina Etchandy1, Graeme J. Stasiuk3, Justin Sturge3 1Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República (UDELAR), 2Department of Mechanistic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, 3School of Biological, Biomedical & Environmental Sciences, University of Hull Here we explain a protocol for modelling the biophysical microenvironment where crosslinking and increased stiffness of the basement membrane (BM) induced by advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) has pathological relevance. Biology Simple and Efficient Technique for the Preparation of Testicular Cell Suspensions Rosana Rodríguez-Casuriaga1, Gustavo A. Folle2, Federico Santiñaque2, Beatriz López-Carro2, Adriana Geisinger1,3 1Departamento de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), 2Servicio de Citometría de Flujo y Clasificación Celular (SECIF), Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable, 3Sección Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República A novel protocol for the mechanical preparation of testicular cell suspensions from rodent material, avoiding enzymes and detergents, is described. The method is very simple, fast, reproducible, and renders good quality cell suspensions, which are suitable for flow sorting and RNA extraction.