Simple, Sensitive Add-and-Read Viability Assay That's Easy to Multiplex

July 15, 2026

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Overall

Quality of Results

Ease-of-Optimization

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Company:

Promega

Product Name:

CellTiter-Blue® Cell Viability Assay

Catalog Number:

G8081

The Promega CellTiter-Blue Cell Viability Assayis used for cell viability assay. The workflow is about as simple as it gets: add one reagent directly to cells growing in serum-containing medium, incubate 1–4 hours, and read fluorescence.

Experimental Design and Results Summary

Application

Cytotoxicity assay

Starting Material

Cell culture

Tips

Optimize incubation per cell type; Avoid multiple freeze-thaw cycle

Results Summary

The resazurin-to-resorufin chemistry is sensitive and gives a wide linear range with strong signal-to-background, so I can reliably detect differences in viable cell number and generate clean dose–response curves.

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Summary

The Good

multiplex-friendly with other assays; sensitive with wide linear range

The Bad

Endpoint depends on metabolic activity, so it reflects metabolic capacity rather than a direct cell count

The Bottom Line

Results are reproducible plate to plate, and the 100 mL size is economical for routine screening. The main things to keep in mind are that the incubation time needs to be optimized per cell type, and very long incubations can saturate or start reducing signal. Overall, a reliable, easy, and flexible viability assay that I would strongly recommend.

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