Transfection-based HR and NHEJ kits use transient transfections to make a pool of cells containing the DNA reporters to allow the investigator to interrogate the 2 major DNA repair pathways. The advantages are:

•  It uses GFP readout to measure the efficiency of repair.
• There is zero background when repair is blocked or inhibited
• The reporters for HR or NHEJ can be installed in virtually any cell line that can be transiently transfect
• It is rapid and robust
• It is ideal for drug screens to find novel inhibitors of HR/NHEJ
• The kits are highly specific and can only report HR or NHEJ
• Readout GFP can be done by FACS or Imaging
• Entire pathway can be followed by live imaging in viable cells
• Ideal to track repair kinetics at the single cell level