What is cell viability assay?

A cell viability assay is an assay that is created to determine the ability of cells to maintain or recover a state of survival. The parameters which define cell viability can be diverse, ranging from the integrity of cell membranes (e.g. Nuclear DCS1 DNA dyes) or the activity of intracellular enzymes (e.g. Calcein AM) to the membrane potential of mitochondria (e.g. JC-1) or the redox potential of a cell population (e.g. Resazurin).