Use this calculation for cell-culture or microscopy observations collected with one counting rule, assay gate, calibration, and unit convention. It is suited to documenting dilution, growth, labeling, geometry, or population fractions.

Viable cells

A finite measured or assumed value.

Total cells

A finite measured or assumed value.

The implementation follows this calculation rule: Calculate the viability percentage from viable and total cell counts.

Viability

The calculated viability in %.

Counts and fluorescence measurements can be biased by clumping, debris, segmentation, gating, background signal, saturation, sampling fields, or unequal viability. A calculated percentage does not identify the biological mechanism behind a change. Ratios and percentages become unstable when their denominator is small, uncertain, or defined differently between samples.

Retain representative images or cytometry plots and include biological replicates. Orthogonal viability, proliferation, apoptosis, or direct counting assays can distinguish effects that a single cell metric conflates.

• Apoptosis %

  Calculate the apoptosis percentage from apoptotic and total cell counts.

• Necrosis %

  Calculate the necrosis percentage from necrotic and total cell counts.

• G2 Percentage

  Compute the percentage of cells in G2 phase from flow cytometry cell cycle counts.