The oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model is an excellent model of retinal angiogenesis and is used to test drugs for retinopathy of prematurity or proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Immediately after birth, rat pups and their moms are placed in an environment of alternating 50% and 10% oxygen for 14 days. Software is used during this time to closely monitor oxygen levels. On post-natal day 14, litters are returned to room air for 6 days during which time retinal neovascularization develops.
With 31 years of experience using the rat model of OIR, we have honed our workflow to handle high-throughput and high-volume experiments. Acknowledging the power of genetic manipulation, we also routinely conduct experiments using the mouse model of OIR. We have identified and validated VEGF antibodies to use as positive control treatments for both species.
