User:Archer7/In vitro toxicology

In vitro toxicology is the scientific analysis of the effects of toxic chemical substances on cultured bacteria or mammalian cells. In vitro (literally 'in glass') testing methods are employed primarily to identify possibly dangerous chemicals and/or to check a chemical does not have certain toxic properties in the early stages of the development of potentially useful new substances such as drugs, agricultural chemicals and direct food additives. Most toxicologists believe that in vitro toxicity testing methods can be a useful, time and cost-effective supplement to toxicology studies in living animals (which are termed in vivo or "in life" methods). However, most people agree that the available in vitro tests today cannot entirely replace animal toxicology tests.