A–Z index

In Vivo

At a glance: Testing performed within a whole living organism, usually an animal or person.

“In vivo” (Latin for “within the living”) refers to tests performed in or on a whole living organism, such as a person, laboratory animal, or plant. 14 More rigorously, in an in vivo experiment the toxic interactions take place in an intact organism, in the context of that organism’s physiology. 15 This is the whole-body context that in vitro systems cannot fully reproduce. Reducing and replacing in vivo animal tests is the shared goal of NGRA, ICCVAM, and ORIVA.

Sources

  1. In vivo vs. in vitro: What is the difference?
  2. In vitro, ex vivo, in vivo toxicology: the terminology issue
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