A
viability assay is an
assay to determine the ability of
organs,
cells or
tissues to maintain or recover . Viability can be distinguished from the all-or-nothing states of life and death by use of a quantifiable index between 0 and 1 (or 0 and 100%). Viability can assay mechanical activity, motility (
spermatozoa or
granulocytes), contraction (
muscle tissue or cells), mitotic activity, etc.