Researchers will often need to get a sense of the viability of different cells, and they will frequently conduct cell viability assays in the process. There are many different cell viability indicators that they will test in the process. The balance of potassium and sodium within a cell will certainly act as a useful viability indicator.
Cell viability assays are more important in certain fields and disciplines than others. These tests are performed routinely among scientists who are running experiments related to cryopreservation. The field of cryopreservation is expanding all the time, but some failed cryopreservation techniques will more or less destroy organisms and organ systems on a purely cellular level. If these strategies are actually working, a cell viability assay will usually demonstrate that it is the case.
For the most part, cell viability assays are used when researchers are trying to get a sense of whether or not certain chemicals will be toxic to the cells. However, they will also be testing chemicals that can potentially protect cells from other chemicals. They will need to conduct cell viability assays in order to develop and perfect these chemicals.
Cell viability assays will reveal a great deal of information about cells, including whether or not they’re undergoing mitosis correctly or whether their basic mechanical functionality is within normal limits. Different cells will also have different viability indicators, which can complicate the process of conducting cell viability assays. For instance, with muscle cells, the ability to contract effectively will be an indicator of viability. Cellular motility will also be an important cellular viability indicator that cell viability assays will be able to easily detect.
It could be said that cell viability assays are some of the most fundamental tests that anyone can actually perform on cells. They can tell you almost everything about cells and about how different chemical environments will affect them. They can also be used in the context of trying to understand the health of a greater organism.