Cultivating a business “in vitro”

Neuroscientists use living organisms to simulate, or model, biological processes in the lab. These models allow them to gain insights into the underlying causes of neurological disease. These insights, in turn, inform both clinical studies and drug development. Sometimes animal models are used, but early research often begins by looking at cells grown outside a living organism in a test tube or dish. This method is known as research in vitro—Latin for “in glass.”

To study neurons in vitro, the plastic or glass surfaces on which cells are cultivated must be coated with a chemical base layer to help them stick to the surface and grow. However even with coated surfaces, neurons are hard to maintain long term because the cells degrade the coating over time. This degradation causes the cells to detach from the surface, clump together and eventually die…

Read the full article at Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives.

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