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AAT Bioquest

What is the difference between cell viability and cell proliferation?

Posted November 24, 2020


Answer

Cell viability and cell proliferation describe two very distinct characteristics of cells. Cell viability refers to the number of live, healthy cells within a population, whereas cell proliferation refers to the number of cells that are growing and dividing within a population. Although a cell can be classified as viable (i.e. healthy), it does not necessarily mean that it is growing and dividing. For example, senescent cells do not replicate but they can be viable

Additional resources

Cell viability and proliferation capability of long-term human dental pulp stem cell cultures

Cell Cycle and Proliferation

Calcein Red™ AM