in vitro
/in'vitrou/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adverb:
- In an artificial environment outside the living organism; typically referring to biological processes or experiments conducted in a controlled laboratory setting, such as in a test tube or petri dish.
Adjective:
- Of, relating to, or involving a process or reaction taking place in an artificial environment outside a living organism.
Examples
Adverb:
- The egg was fertilized in vitro. (The fertilization process occurred outside the body in a laboratory dish.)
- Scientists grew the tissue in vitro for their study. (The tissue was cultured in an artificial laboratory environment.)
Adjective:
- In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a common medical procedure. (This describes fertilization that happens outside the body.)
- They conducted in vitro tests on the new drug compound. (The tests were performed in a controlled laboratory setting, not inside an animal or human.)
Advanced Usage
"in vitro diagnostics": Medical tests performed on samples (like blood or tissue) taken from the body and analyzed in a laboratory setting.
- Rapid in vitro diagnostics are crucial for early disease detection.
"in vitro model": A laboratory system used to simulate a biological process or study the effects of substances on cells or tissues outside an organism.
- Researchers developed a new in vitro model to study liver toxicity.
Variants and Related Words
- Ex vivo (adj/adv): Refers to experiments or procedures done on or with biological tissue from a living organism in an external environment, with minimal alteration of natural conditions. (Often contrasted with , which can involve isolated cells or components.)
- The organ was preserved ex vivo for several hours before transplantation.
Synonyms
- In an artificial environment
- In a laboratory setting
- Outside the organism
Related Phrases
- In vitro vs. in vivo: A fundamental distinction in biological research. means "in glass" (outside a living organism), while means "within the living" (inside a living organism).
- The compound showed promise in vitro, but its effects in vivo were different.
Related Idioms
- The term is a precise scientific phrase and is not typically used in idiomatic expressions.
Adjective
- in an artificial environment outside the living organism
- in vitro fertilization
Adverb
- in an artificial environment outside the living organism
- an egg fertilized in vitro