USES of the FLOCK
BIOMEDICAL and VETERINARY SCIENCES
The flock provides sheep that can be used for research in biomedical and veterinary sciences to improve understanding of human and animal health. The development of techniques for human surgery, biomedical devices, drug evaluations, organ regeneration and fetal research has advanced tremendously using sheep as animal models.
Development of Sheep Models
There are situations in which creating an animal model by surgical procedures to further investigation of research methods or drugs that may potentially be used to correct the introduced condition. OVIS has contracted surgical facilities and staff available for clients to create customized sheep models. OVIS can provide housing for these sheep models until the client is prepared to conduct their research.
Experimental Surgery Research
Ovis sheep are an ideal animal model suited to surgical research since their size is convenient and similar to humans. Ovis has provided sheep for surgical research in multiple applications including cardiovascular, neurological, medical devices, skeletal and organ transplantation.
Fetal Research
Pregnant sheep and their gestating fetus(es) provide a close approximation model for human pregnancy research and continue to be studied extensively to provide insight into conditions affecting human in utero development. Ovis provides time-dated sheep pregnancies for fetal research in growth restrictions, organ repair, drug evaluations, and biomedical devices.
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VIDEOS
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(©CGTN America Eye witness news)
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(©The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
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Biomedical Device Research
Sheep have often been used for development of biomedical devices for temporary or permanent replacement of human tissues and organs. Ovis has provided sheep for biomedical device research regarding joint replacement, implanted drug delivery devices, dialysis devices and cardiac shunts.
Blood
Products
The Ovis flock can provide a source of high-quality whole blood and blood fraction products. Ovis has provided sheep for development of hyperimmune serum/plasma for passive therapies, as well as diagnostic reagents and other biopharmaceutical applications.
