Is cell culture considered in vivo? - (Oct/11/2006 )

Ok that may seem like a stupid question but I've looked up the definition of in vivo and with some definitions cell culture could be considered in vivo but with others no. Usually in vivo means in a living organism but I've found things that say "in a living organism or cell". So would you considered analysis of a gene in cultured cells to be in vivo or in vitro?

it would depend greatly on the kind of cell.

For a bacteria, single cell eukaryote or archea, gene analysis on a plate of cell would definately be in vivo.

For an animal or plant cell. Growing them on a plate would be in vitro culturing... because you can technically culture these cells in a living organism.... and is still done for sometimes hard to grow cells/bacteria/viruses

I would also call the gene analysis in vitro, as the cells are not in their native environment.

I would just add that :
culturing cells is in vitro, and if you take cells out from patient or animal, do not culture but analyse immediately, it's ex vivo.

i consider anything be performed in a living being would b invivo (the being should b alive). everything else is invitro.

That's what I figured but I've seen cell culture referred to as in vivo (obviously incorrectly).