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Concept
Bioassay
Summary
A bioassay is an analytical method to determine the concentration or potency of a substance by its effect on living animals or plants (in vivo), or on living cells or tissues(in vitro). A bioassay can be either quantal or quantitative, direct or indirect. If the measured response is binary, the assay is quantal, if not, it is quantitative.
A bioassay may be used to detect biological hazards or to give an assessment of the quality of a mixture. A bioassay is often used to monitor water quality as well as wastewater discharges and its impact on the surroundings. It is also used to assess the environmental impact and safety of new technologies and facilities.
A bioassay is a biochemical test to estimate the potency of a sample compound. Usually this potency can only be measured relative to a standard compound. A typical bioassay involves a stimulus (ex. drugs) applied to a subject (ex. animals, tissues, plants). The corresponding response (ex. death) of the subject is thereby triggered and measured.
The first use of a bioassay dates back to the late 19th century, when the foundation of bioassays was laid down by German physician Paul Ehrlich. He introduced the concept of standardization by the reactions of living matter. His bioassay on diphtheria antitoxin was the first bioassay to receive recognition. His use of bioassay was able to discover that administration of gradually increasing dose of diphtheria in animals stimulated production of antiserum.
One well known example of a bioassay is the "canary in the coal mine" experiment. To provide advance warning of dangerous levels of methane in the air, miners would take methane-sensitive canaries into coal mines. If the canary died due to a build-up of methane, the miners would leave the area as quickly as possible.
Many early examples of bioassays used animals to test the carcinogenicity of chemicals. In 1915, Yamaigiwa Katsusaburo and Koichi Ichikawa tested the carcinogenicity of coal tar using the inner surface of rabbit's ears.
Official source
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