What kinds of assays use 7-AAD?

7-AAD uses different types of assays, based on what you are trying to achieve. Since the dye concerns staining cells, there are two assays that are useful for analyzing that. The first is a cell viability assay, and this determines the ratio of live and dead cells. These assays go as far as determining the redox potential of the cell population, measuring the integrity of cell membranes, or the processes of cellular enzymes. This can be useful in determining the effect of a certain drug, as well as improving cell culture environments. The second type of assay 7-AAD uses is cytotoxicity assays. These assays count the number of dead and live cells, after treatment with a drug or other pharmacological substance. It is important to remember 7-AAD only stains dead cells, so to count the number of living cells, you simply subtract the number of dead cells from the total cell count.