What Does in Vivo Mean in Medical Terms

In medical terms, “in vivo” means “within the living”. It refers to studies, experiments, or procedures that are conducted on or within a living organism, such as a human, animal, or plant. This is in contrast to “in vitro”, which means “in glass” and refers to studies done outside of a living organism, often in test tubes or petri dishes.

Here’s a table summarizing the key differences between in vivo and in vitro studies:

Feature	In vivo	In vitro
Setting	Within a living organism	Outside of a living organism (usually in a lab)
Examples	Clinical trials, animal studies, organ transplants	Cell cultures, enzyme assays, DNA sequencing
Advantages	More realistic results, can account for complex interactions within the body	Faster, cheaper, easier to control variables
Disadvantages	Ethical considerations, more complex and expensive, unpredictable results	Less realistic, may not accurately reflect what happens in a living organism

Here are some specific examples of how “in vivo” is used in medical terms:

In vivo imaging: This refers to techniques like X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs that are used to visualize the inside of a living organism.
In vivo drug testing: This involves testing new drugs on animals or humans to see how they affect the body.
In vivo gene therapy: This is a type of gene therapy that involves introducing new genes into living cells within an organism.

Overall, “in vivo” is a crucial concept in medical research, as it allows scientists to study how things work in the complex and interconnected environment of a living organism. This information is essential for developing new treatments and understanding diseases.