Equipment

Cryostat

A cryostat is used to section, or cut thin pieces, of a frozen tissue. The tissue is held in place while a knife slices across the length of the tissue. It is important to note that the cryostat cuts the tissue along the length of the frozen block. Therefore it is imperative that you align the tissue within the block to achieve the desired section (cross-section, longitudinal section, etc.).

The facility will section your tissue block for a fee. Also, you may be trained to operate the cryostat yourself. If you do wish to use the cryostat, you must purchase your own blades to install into the cryostat. Please contact the facility for more information.

The IHC Facility currently employs two cryostats:

* Microm HM505E is about 10 years-old and is used to slice animal research specimens. Sections can be made up to 50µm in thickness. Chamber temperature is typically set to -20C but can be adjusted depending on tissue type. A disposable low-profile blade is used.

* Leica CM1900 is four years-old and has two compressors, one controls chamber temperature and one controls specimen temperature. It is only used for human research specimens. Sections can be made up to 50µm in thickness. Chamber temperature is typically set to -20C but can be adjusted depending on tissue type. A disposable high-profile blade is used.

Microtome

A microtome is used when paraffin embedded tissues need to be sectioned. The microtome employed by the IHC Facility is a manual instrument, meaning that you cannot input specific thicknesses electronically and have the instrument automatically adjust for it. You can manually adjust the thickness you need using an analog dial.

Along with the microtome is a water bath. The water bath is useful for getting the freshly cut paraffin sections to lay out flat in order to be put on a slide.

The facility can cut paraffin sections for you. Also, you may be trained to use the microtome yourself. If you do wish to use the microtome, you will need to purchase your own blades to install on the instrument. The facility does not provide knives for your use.

AutoStainer

The AutoStainer, manufactured by DakoCytomation and acquired in 2001, is useful when large numbers of slides need to be stained with a specific panel of antibodies. The instrument, when programmed through the software, will deposit precise amounts of antibody, wash buffers, secondary antibodies, and substrate on each slide. The autostainer can accommodate up to 40 slides.

Contact the facility for more information regarding the autostainer.

Microscopes

The facility has an upright fluorescence microscope with a teaching arm. This microscope is useful for evaluation of the client's stained slides. Multiple filters and optics are available to enable viewing of fluorescence as well as bright-field. Again, the microscope is used solely for evaluation purposes, we suggest you use the Microscopy Facility for taking images as well as further analysis of your slides.