Does anyone know what the difference is between a cell based assay and an in vitro assay? They seem the same to me! Is in vitro a whole tissue? That is the only difference I can think of. Cheers for any help:)

Actually, I believe that "cell based assay" goes under the label of "in vitro assays" (in addition to "enzyme assays", "binding assays", "immunoassays", etc- they are all in vitro assays)

Cell based assays work with living cells, outside of a living thing, in a controlled environment (the definition of "in vitro"). So, in short, cell based assay is a type of in vitro assay.

Hope this helps.

Thanks that's what I initially thought but I was asked to compare and contrast which confused me. How can you do that if they are basically the same? Anyway just said a bunch of stuff about how in vitro that isn't cell based was easier to scale up for industry but could miss possible handles. Thanks for replying

It is a little foggy, but to most biochemists, a 'cell-based' assay would be in vivo (although to a macrobiologist this might be considered in vitro. Essentially (again, to a biochemist), in vitro (literally "In glass") assays are those that take place removed from the actual living system. Usually you will have a fractionated part of a cell, or even just an enzyme or two, as your assay. In contrast, while most cell-based assays are nowadays done 'in glass', by which I mean in a tube of some sort, since the cell is still alive it would generally be considered in vivo.

And having survived many in vivo and in vitro experiments and publications, I can tell you that it is awfully difficult to get most cell biologists to accept work done entirely in vitro. That is, while in vitro is great for dissecting a system into its component parts, you then have to work back up to the in vivo system to prove that your in vitro work is reflected in a real living organism.