In vivo models are offered for the study of myocardial infarct (MI). The occlusion-induced myocardial infarct model is a technique for investigating the cardio-protection of a drug therapy in the event of ischemia/reperfusion injury. The advantage of the model is the ability to study the functional relevance of a drug treatment on the heart following direct coronary flow and the mechanisms by which the drug promotes myocardial protection. Study design can be customized to determine the duration of reperfusion following a 45-minute occlusion period. Readouts of the occlusion-induced ischemia-reperfusion injury model include histology of the heart as well as CPK and Troponin levels, which are relevant blood markers of myocardial infarction.