in vivo model
Definition
An in vivo model is an experimental system that uses living organisms to study biological processes, disease mechanisms, or therapeutic interventions in their complete physiological context. These models range from simple organisms like C. elegans and zebrafish to complex mammals such as mice and non-human primates. In vivo models preserve the intricate interactions between cells, tissues, organs, and systemic factors that cannot be replicated in isolated cell cultures. They are essential for understanding disease pathophysiology, drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, toxicity assessment, and validating findings from in vitro studies before clinical translation. The complexity of in vivo systems provides critical insights into how biological networks function holistically within living systems.
Visualize in vivo model in Nodes Bio
Researchers can map multi-organ interactions and systemic responses observed in in vivo experiments using network graphs. Nodes Bio enables visualization of how a drug affects multiple pathways across different tissues, connecting molecular targets to phenotypic outcomes. Users can integrate in vivo experimental data with pathway databases to identify unexpected cross-tissue signaling cascades or compensatory mechanisms that emerge only in whole-organism contexts.
Visualization Ideas:
- Multi-tissue drug response networks showing organ-specific pathway perturbations
- Disease progression timelines connecting molecular changes to phenotypic outcomes across organ systems
- Comparative networks between in vitro and in vivo experimental results highlighting emergent systemic interactions
Example Use Case
A pharmaceutical team develops a novel kinase inhibitor for cancer treatment. Initial in vitro studies show promising tumor cell death, but in vivo mouse xenograft models reveal unexpected cardiotoxicity. Using network analysis, researchers map the drug's off-target effects across cardiac tissue, discovering it inhibits a kinase critical for cardiomyocyte calcium handling. They visualize the cascade from molecular target through cellular dysfunction to organ-level phenotype, identifying structural modifications to improve selectivity while maintaining anti-tumor efficacy.