Stockholm 2010 All previously published papers were reproduced with permission from the publisher. Published by Karolinska Institutet. Printed by Larserics Digital Print AB

Pathological angiogenesis significantly contribute to the onset, development and progression of most common and severe human diseases including cancer, metastatic disease, cardiovascular disease, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. Under these pathological conditions, tissue hypoxia often acts as a trigger to switch on angiogenesis. However, there has been lacking non-invasive and clinically relevant animal models that allow us to study mechanisms of human diseases. Zebrafish, as a complementary animal model to mice, is a highly genetically and pharmacologically tractable vertebrate which is easily visualized during development. Zebrafish offers a unique opportunity to study angiogenesis under hypoxia. This thesis describes development and characterization of four novel zebrafish models in relation to hypoxia-induced angiogenesis, vascular and tumor pathology. Using these models, we demonstrate that hypoxia plays a causal role in development of retinopathy and cancer cell metastasis and thus provide important insights needed for the development of therapeutic approaches aimed at interfering with these processes. I