The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane as a model for in vivo research on anti-angiogenesis.

Anti-angiogenesis, i.e. inhibition of blood vessel growth, is being investigated as a way to prevent the growth of tumors and other angiogenesis-dependent diseases. Pharmacological inhibition interferes with the angiogenic cascade or the immature neovasculature with synthetic or semi-synthetic substances, endogenous inhibitors or biological antagonists. The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) is an extraembryonic membrane commonly used in vivo to study both new vessel formation and its inhibition in response to tissues, cells, or soluble factors. Angiogenesis or anti-angiogenesis is evaluated quantitatively or semiquantitatively. The fields of application of CAM in the study of anti-angiogenesis, including our personal experience, are illustrated in this paper.