Meta-analysis is done for clinical randomized controlled trials, but can it done for invivo preclinical (animal) studies which are randomized controlled studies?
Meta-analysis can be done for any sort of statistical result. If you have several studies of a similar topic, it is possible that a meta-analysis will be useful. This is true for randomized trials, other randomized studies, observational studies and anything else.
Indeed, they may be even more helpful for observational studies than for experiments.
A meta-analysis serves at least two functions: 1) Increasing power and 2) Reducing bias. In a meta-analysis of several experiments, there should be relatively little bias to reduce.
Certainly, you can do it for group of any studies with a matching (similar) experimental design, to cumulate the observed effects over time (season, year, etc), target (animal strain), etc. It enables you to ascertain whetrher the relationships observed in single studies are coherent or diversing.
Yes, if you are able to identify a common statistical measure that is shared among studies, called the effect size, which has a standard error.
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