‘In vitro’ (e.g. test tube) studies

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• Format Websites
• Language/s English
• Target Audience Self-directed learning
• EBM Stage 0 - Why EBM?
• Duration <5 mins
• Difficulty Introductory

Key Concepts addressed

• 3-2b Are you very different from the people studied?

Details

‘In vitro’ (meaning ‘in glass’) studies are where scientists investigate chemicals, microorganisms (e.g. bacteria) or tissue (e.g. skin cells in isolation) in test tubes or petri dishes in a lab.

For example, a researcher might want to examine the effect that a potential new medicine has on cancer cells. Putting some cancer cells together with some of the potential medicine in a test tube is a straightforward way of seeing what effect the potential medicine has on the cells.

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