In vitro

In vitro refers to a process or reaction occurring in an artificial environment, such as a test tube or culture media, outside the living organism where it would normally occur. The term is Latin for 'in glass', referring to the glassware traditionally used in laboratory experiments. This term is used in contrast to in vivo (in the living organism) and ex vivo (in an organ or tissue removed from an organism).

Overview

The term 'in vitro' is used to describe any biological procedure that is performed outside the organism in which it would normally have occurred. This can include experiments in cells in culture, in artificial environments, and in test tubes. The purpose of in vitro experiments is to allow for precise control over the environmental conditions under which the experiment is conducted. This can include control over temperature, pH, nutrient concentration, and other factors that may affect the outcome of the experiment.

In vitro techniques

There are many different techniques that can be used in in vitro experiments. These include:

• Cell culture: This is the process of growing cells in a controlled artificial environment. Cells can be derived from an organism and then grown in a petri dish or similar container. This allows for the study of the cells in isolation from the rest of the organism.

• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): This is a method used to amplify a single or few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence. It is often used in research to produce large quantities of DNA for further experimentation.

• Enzyme assays: These are laboratory methods for measuring enzymatic activity. They are vital for the study of enzyme kinetics and enzyme inhibition.

Applications

In vitro techniques are used in many different areas of research and medicine. These include:

• Drug discovery: In vitro methods are often used in the early stages of drug discovery. This can involve testing potential drug compounds against a variety of cell types or biochemical targets.

• Genetic research: In vitro techniques such as PCR and gene cloning are fundamental to modern genetic research. They allow for the manipulation and study of genes in a controlled environment.

• Cancer research: In vitro studies of cancer cells have led to many breakthroughs in our understanding of cancer and the development of new treatments.

See also

• In vivo
• Ex vivo
• Cell culture
• Polymerase chain reaction
• Enzyme assays

References

In vitro Resources
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