The use of bioassays and in vitro testing in forest products inustry environmental research

摘要

The bioassay is an assay based upon the use of a biological response as its endpoints. At the most basic level, these endpoints are changes at the molecular level, with alterations in individual molecules. At the opposite end of the scale are complex responses in living organisms. Many different types of bioassays may provide the environmetal types of bioassays may provide the environmental scientist with valuable information. The more basic bioassays often have the advantages of being quickly completed, simple to conduct and relatively inexpensive. However, their disadvantage is that the results cannot generally be used to make predictions about effects in living organisms because researchers do not yet understand how those bioassay endpoints correlate with the responses of live animals.