School of Biotechnology · Cell & tissue culture
Cell-Based Assays: Viability, Cytotoxicity & Apoptosis
Cell-based assays are how compounds, extracts and treatments are tested on living cells. This course teaches how to design, run and analyse them so that an IC50 means what it claims.
Course overview
Cell-Based Assays covers plate-based viability and cytotoxicity assays (MTT and resazurin), plate layout with proper controls and replicates, and fluorescence-based apoptosis staining.
Analysis is half the course: normalisation, dose–response curve fitting, IC50 estimation with confidence intervals, and the edge effects, interference and statistical errors that most often undermine published results.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course you will be able to:
- Design assay plates with controls, replicates and randomisation
- Run MTT and resazurin viability assays
- Fit dose–response curves and estimate IC50 with uncertainty
- Stain and image apoptotic and necrotic cells
- Recognise assay interference and edge effects
Skills you will practise
Eligibility and prerequisites
Who can apply
- Students and graduates of B.Sc., M.Sc., B.Tech., M.Tech., B.Pharm., M.Pharm. or a PhD programme in biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, life sciences, pharmacy or allied health sciences
- Laboratory staff, research assistants and faculty who want structured bench training
- Participants must be 18 or older and follow the laboratory safety induction on day one
Prerequisites
- Animal Cell Culture Techniques or equivalent culture experience
Best suited to
- Researchers screening compounds, extracts or nanomaterials on cells
- Pharmacy and biotechnology postgraduates
- Graduates of Animal Cell Culture Techniques
Module-wise syllabus
5 modules, each with a bench practical performed by every participant.
Topics
- Controls and replicates
- Plate layouts and edge effects
- Seeding density
Topics
- MTT chemistry
- Resazurin reduction
- Assay interference
Topics
- Normalisation
- Four-parameter logistic fitting
- IC50 and confidence intervals
Topics
- Apoptosis versus necrosis
- Fluorescent nuclear staining
- Image-based counting
Topics
- Statistics on biological replicates
- Common reviewer objections
- Figures and methods
Practical sessions and projects
Practical assessment
Practical assessment
Report a complete dose–response experiment with plate design, curve fits, IC50 values with confidence intervals and an apoptosis analysis.
Assessed on technique, accuracy, safety and the laboratory record. A pass is required for the certificate.
- Designing an assay
Optimise seeding density and design a randomised dose–response plate.
- Viability assays
Treat cells with a reference compound and measure viability by MTT and resazurin.
- Dose–response analysis
Fit dose–response curves to your plate data and report IC50 values with uncertainty.
- Apoptosis and cytotoxicity
Stain treated cells and quantify apoptotic morphology by fluorescence microscopy.
- Reporting
Prepare a figure and methods section that meet journal standards.
Instruments, techniques and materials
Instruments and equipment
Techniques you will perform
- MTT assay
- Resazurin assay
- Dose–response design
- Fluorescent nuclear staining
- Curve fitting
Materials
- Established, non-hazardous cell lines
- Reference cytotoxic compound
- Assay reagents and stains
Core reading
- Riss TL et al. Cell Viability Assays. In: Assay Guidance Manual. Eli Lilly & Company and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCBI Bookshelf).
- Mosmann T (1983). Rapid colorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival. Journal of Immunological Methods 65:55–63.
Duration, format and fees
- Next cohort
- Dates are sent with your admission offer
- Timetable
- Weekdays, 9:30 to 16:30, at our laboratory
- Payment
- Secure online payment link with your admission offer (UPI, cards, net banking). Instalments on request for fees above ₹15,000.
- Refunds
- See the refund and cancellation policy.
Instructor
The instructor for each cohort is named in your admission offer and on this page when the cohort is announced. Vedicgen instructors are selected for hands-on laboratory experience in the subject they teach, and every course is reviewed by a second subject expert.
Questions about who teaches a cohort? [email protected]
Certificate
Learners who complete the course and pass its practical assessment receive a Vedicgen certificate of completion for Cell-Based Assays: Viability, Cytotoxicity & Apoptosis, issued by Vivofold, stating the bench hours and techniques performed. Each certificate has a unique ID and QR code that anyone can check.
Apply for Cell-Based Assays: Viability, Cytotoxicity & Apoptosis
Apply
Send the form below. It takes about five minutes.
Review
An adviser confirms your fit and format within two working days.
Offer
You receive dates, timetable and a secure payment link.
Onboard
Safety briefing, lab address and joining instructions.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Day one starts with a safety induction covering personal protective equipment, safe handling of reagents and biological material, spill response and waste segregation. All practicals use non-pathogenic material (Risk Group 1 organisms, established cell lines or synthetic templates) and are supervised throughout.
All reagents, kits, consumables, personal protective equipment, the lab manual and the certificate. Travel, accommodation and meals are not included. The laboratory address and joining instructions are sent with your admission letter.
Bench courses run in small groups so that every participant performs every practical personally, with an instructor-to-participant ratio that allows close supervision at the bench.
Yes. Learners who complete the course and pass its assessment receive a Vedicgen certificate of completion, issued by Vivofold. Every certificate carries a unique ID and a QR code that anyone, including an employer or admissions office, can check on the certificate verification page.
Apply with the form on this page. Live and in-person cohorts run through the year; the dates, timetable and joining details of the next cohort are sent with your admission offer and listed on this page once announced. Self-paced enrolment opens as soon as your application is accepted.
Yes. No course runs longer than four weeks, and the length is customisable: choose the standard schedule, an intensive one- to two-week schedule, weekends only, or a custom timetable. Pick your preference on the application form; colleges and teams can book their own dates.
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