The major goal of this facility is to provide tissue microarray (TMA) capabilities from processing samples into donor blocks and evaluating regions of interest to TMA design, construction, sectioning, and staining. Any stain that can be used on a paraffin section can be performed on a TMA slide. Fees for TMA construction are based on tech support time and supplies. Individuals can also construct their own TMA through self-service (Arraymold YouTUBE).
Benefits
- Cost effective- view or stain many samples on one slide instead of many individual slides
- Optimizing antibodies or probes- optimize an antibody or ISH probe across many different organs or species on one slide instead of staining multiple slides,
- Consistency- all samples are processed in batch thus differences between samples due to sample rather than technical issues
Methods
Using a H&E stained slide of the donor block for guidance, the area(s) of interest is removed as a core from the donor block with the appropriate sized needle (Beechler) or punch (Arraymold) then transferred into the recipient block. The block is resealed with paraffin and stored at -20 until sectioned. TMA slides can also be sealed with paraffin to maximize antigen stability before staining.
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Needle size
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Spacing between samples | Array Format | Total # Cores |
|
0.6 mm
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0.2 mm
|
20 x 20
|
400
|
|
1.0 mm
|
0.3 mm
|
16 x 13
|
208
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| 1.5 mm | 0.4 mm | 11 x 9 |
99
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Fees and Invoicing
Please visit the Fee page for information on costs and billing.