In vitro (Latin for “in glass”) is the process of performing a given experiment in a controlled environment outside of a living organism. In vitro experiments are performed with cells, tissues, organs, or entire organisms that have been isolated from their natural surroundings and placed in an artificial environment.
In vitro research is used to study the function of cells, tissues, and organs without the confounding effects of the whole organism. This approach has several advantages over traditional in vivo (within a living organism) experimentation. First, because in vitro experiments can be conducted under highly controlled conditions, they allow for greater precision and reproducibility than in vivo studies. Second, by isolating cells or tissues from an organism, researchers can study processes that would be difficult or impossible to observe in vivo. Finally, because in vitro systems are often simpler than intact organisms, they can be easier to manipulate and understand.
Despite these advantages, there are also some limitations to in vitro experimentation. First, because cells or tissues are removed from their natural environment and placed into an artificial one, they may not behave exactly as they would in vivo. Second, complex interactions between different cell types and between different organs cannot be studied using in vitro techniques. Finally, it can be difficult to extrapolate findings from small-scale cell or tissue cultures to larger biological systems such as whole organisms.
Despite these limitations