Device and method for inducing vascular injury and/or blockage in an animal model

A method for in vivo modeling of vascular disorder, comprising:

• preparing an animal for optical access to vasculature;
• and
• targeting vasculature in three dimensions for photodisruption;
• and focusing ultrashort laser pulses on the target vasculature to produce localized photodisruption, wherein the laser pulses have an energy adapted to drive a nonlinear interaction within the target vasculature.

A method for observing vascular disease or injury in real time, comprising:

• preparing an animal for optical access to vasculature;
• and
• targeting vasculature in three dimensions for photodisruption;
• focusing ultrashort laser pulses on the target vasculature to produce localized photodisruption, wherein the laser pulses have an energy adapted to drive a nonlinear interaction within the target vasculature;
• and observing physiological parameters of the animal before, during and after photodisruption.

A device for producing spatially-localized injury to vasculature in an animal, comprising:

• an animal mount for holding the animal in a fixed position;
• an optical source for producing a photodisruption beam, wherein the photodisruption beam comprises a plurality of ultrashort pulses adapted for driving a nonlinear interaction within the target vasculature;
• and
• a microscope objective for focusing the photodisruption beam onto target vasculature in the animal;
• wherein the animal has a window formed therein for providing optical access to the target vasculature.