Drug action can be followed in a bioassay in which a cell has to respond to a signal (as contrasted to simply binding to a cell receptor). Bioassays may be developed to detect the drug being transported into intracellular compartments or may measure intracellular signaling events such as receptor phosphorylation, calcium flux, or gene activation (Reporter Assays, PCR). Bioassays could measure metabolic effects and other biological events on cell growth or death. Additionally, bioassays could detect induction of new protein synthesis and protein secretion and cell component rearrangements.

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