Title: positive assay control
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - positive assay control
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.14182
Status: current

Definition
Experimental conditions designed to produce the signal reflective of maximum biological effect in an assay.

Note
For a binding or an activation mechanism, it is typically the signal measured in the presence of a test compound. For an inhibitory or antagonist mechanism, it is the minimum signal, obtained in the absence of the reference inhibitor.

Source
- PAC, 2011, 83, 1129. 'Glossary of terms used in biomolecular screening (IUPAC Recommendations 2011)' on page 1151 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-09-05-03)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/14182/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/14182/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/14182/xml

Citation: Citation: 'positive assay control' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.14182
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Accessed: 2026-07-25T07:59:41+00:00