Table of Contents

Functional Assay

A functional assay is a laboratory test designed to evaluate whether a biological component (such as a gene, protein, or cell) performs its expected biological function under defined experimental conditions.

Definition

A functional assay is used to assess the activity, behavior, or performance of a biological molecule or system, often to determine its role in health or disease.

It measures what the component does, not just what it is.

Common Applications

Examples

Target What It Tests Example
Enzyme Catalytic activity ATPase assay for energy metabolism
Receptor Signal transduction G-protein coupled receptor activation
Gene variant Transcriptional regulation Luciferase reporter assay
Cell Proliferation/apoptosis/migration MTT assay, scratch wound healing test

Importance

Functional assays are essential in: