Ex vivo

Ex vivo is a term that refers to experiments or measurements done in or on tissue from an organism in an external environment with minimal alteration of natural conditions. The term is Latin for "out of the living" and is used to describe a variety of techniques in molecular biology such as organ culture, cell culture, and organotypic culture.

Overview

Ex vivo techniques are carried out in controlled environments outside of the organism. These techniques are often used in research to allow for complex experimental manipulations, which are not feasible in in vivo studies. In addition, ex vivo experiments can be performed on cells or tissues that have been removed from the organism, allowing for a more detailed examination of cellular processes.

Techniques

There are several techniques that fall under the umbrella of ex vivo studies. These include:

• Organ culture: This is a development from tissue culture methods of research, where organs are maintained in vitro for periods of several days to several weeks.

• Cell culture: This is a basic technique in molecular biology where cells are maintained in conditions similar to those from which they were extracted.

• Organotypic culture: This is a method where tissue slices are cultured in vitro, and the architecture of the tissue is preserved.

Applications

Ex vivo techniques have a wide range of applications in various fields of research and medicine. These include:

• Gene therapy: Ex vivo methods are often used in gene therapy, where cells are genetically modified to produce a therapeutic effect.

• Drug testing: Ex vivo studies are also used in drug testing, where the effects of drugs are studied on cells or tissues outside the organism.

• Cancer research: Ex vivo techniques are used in cancer research to study the effects of potential anti-cancer drugs on tumor cells.

See also

• In vitro
• In vivo
• In silico
• In situ

References

• 
  Ex vivo brainstem sample
• 
  Choroid sprouting assay: An ex vivo model of microvascular angiogenesis
• 
  Ex vivo lung perfusion in the rat