In the field of pharmacological research, scientists employ various experimental methods to understand complex biological processes. Two fundamental approaches of this exploration involve the development of "In vivo" and "In vitro" studies. These terms represent two distinct experimental complementary contexts with unique advantages, applications, and limitations.
In vitro models represent the first approaches used in the drug discovery process to characterize the activity, efficacy, toxicity and biocompatibility of new drug candidates giving information further exploitable in in vivo studies. Moreover, in vitro models represent simplified but versatile models of in vivo tissue/organs that help researcher to obtain many results that can also be spend to better plan their in vivo research.
Once a drug candidate demonstrates effectiveness in in vitro experiments, in vivo models can be employed to advance drug development studies. These preclinical studies typically involve the use of animals to evaluate safety, efficacy and delivery of a drug candidate. On the other hand, in vivo models provide some drawbacks like difference in biokinetics parameters or extrapolation of results to human.
The aim of this course is to illustrate to PhD students how to critically choose between in vitro and in vivo studies, to understand their usefulness and to explore their mutual complementarity. During classes, examples of in vitro and in vivo models used nowadays for the development of drug candidates will be addressed.
- Docente: Fausto Chiazza
- Docente: Silvia Fallarini