Assay
Assay
Assay (/ˈæseɪ/), from the Old French essai, meaning "trial" or "attempt", is a procedure in molecular biology for testing or measuring the activity of a substance. In a bioassay, a biological material is used to measure the effects of a substance such as a drug.
Types of Assays
There are several types of assays used in biology and medicine. Some of these include:
- Bioassay: A bioassay is a type of assay that uses a living organism to test for the presence of a substance. This can be a whole animal, a plant, a cell or a molecule such as an enzyme or receptor.
- Immunoassay: An immunoassay is a biochemical test that measures the concentration of a substance in a biological liquid, typically serum or urine, using the reaction of an antibody or antibodies to its antigen.
- Enzyme Assay: An enzyme assay is a laboratory procedure that measures the rate of enzyme reactions. This is usually done by observing the rate at which the enzyme changes its substrate into its products.
- Cell Assay: A cell assay is a method for studying cell behavior. This can include studying the proliferation, toxicity, and morphology of cells.
Etymology
The term "assay" comes from the Old French essai, meaning "trial" or "attempt". This term was used in the Middle Ages to refer to the testing of precious metals to determine their purity.
Related Terms
- Analyte: The substance or chemical constituent that is of interest in a chemical assay.
- Titration: A common laboratory method of quantitative chemical analysis to determine the concentration of an identified analyte.
- Standard Curve: A type of graph used in quantitative research to determine the concentration of a substance based on its optical density.
- Endpoint (biochemistry): The point at which a reaction is stopped in a biochemical assay.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Assay
- Wikipedia's article - Assay
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