assay (redirected from assays)

assay /as·say/ (as´a) determination of the amount of a particular constituent of a mixture, or of the potency of a drug.

---

biological assay  bioassay.

CH50 assay  a test of total complement activity as the capacity of serum to lyse a standard preparation of sheep red blood cells coated with antisheep erythrocyte antibody. The reciprocal of the dilution of serum that lyses 50 per cent of the erythrocytes is the whole complement titer in CH50 units per milliliter of serum.

enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay  see ELISA.

microbiological assay  assay by the use of microorganisms.

microcytotoxicity assay  one using the pattern of lysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes in the presence of complement and typing sera to type serologically defined HLA antigens (HLA-A, -B, and -C antigens).

radioimmunoprecipitation assay  (RIPA) immunoprecipitation conducted with radiolabeled antibody or antigen.

radioligand assay  any assay procedure that uses radioisotopic labeling and biologically specific binding of reagents.

stem cell assay  a measurement of the potency of antineoplastic drugs, based on their ability to retard the growth of cultures of human tumor cells.

---

as·say (s, -s)

n.

1. Qualitative or quantitative analysis of a substance, especially of an ore or a drug, to determine its components.

2. A substance to be so analyzed.

3. The result of such an analysis.

4. An analysis or examination.

v. (-s, s)

1. To subject a substance to chemical analysis.

2. To examine a person's capability by trial or experiment; put to a test.

3. To evaluate a situation; assess.

4. To attempt; try.

5. To be shown by analysis to contain a certain proportion of atoms, molecules, compounds, or precious metal.

---

Assay

An analysis of the chemical composition or strength of a substance.

Mentioned in: Parathyroid Hormone Test

---

assay

[asā′, as′ā]

Etymology: Fr, essayer, to try

the analysis of the purity or effectiveness of drugs and other biologic substances, including laboratory and clinical observations.

---

assay

determination of the purity of a substance or the amount or activity of any particular constituent of a mixture.

---

biological assay

bioassay; determination of the potency of a drug or other substance by comparing the effects it has in a biological system with those of a reference standard.

---

assay

Lab medicine The quantification of a substance of interest by a specific chemical, enzymatic, immunologic or radioimmune-mediated reaction