MRC National Institute for Medical Research, London
Science for Health
Histology
The Histology Service provides a range of sectioning techniques for visualisation of tissue structure and gene expression in animal research models. By making paraffin blocks of animal tissues, we produce thin sections that when stained allow for analysis of tissues at a cellular level.
Tissues are automatically processed, embedded into paraffin blocks and sectioned manually by facility histologists. Slides generated are stained for cell and nuclear structure or left unstained for the researcher’s own use. Newly acquired equipment includes the Leica automated tissue processor (ASP300) and automated slide stainer (Autostainer XL) as well as two new rotary microtomes and cryostats. The ASP300 processor utilises 10 different processing programs designed to optimally maintain morphology of all tissues from mouse embryos and neonates, rats, frogs and fish, as well as human research samples. Paraffin tissue blocks are sectioned manually and the automated stainer used for hematoxylin and eosin staining. Special stains, such as Masson’s trichrome for collagen, are performed manually.
Shared resources available to researchers include cryostats for frozen sections and a microtome for paraffin sections. The facility also provides training, protocols, and assistance for investigators on all aspects of histology, including tissue fixation, tissue processing, and immunohistochemical techniques.
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Bone stained with Mallory’s Trichrome (E. Grigorieva)
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Colon stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (E. Grigorieva)
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Kidney stained with Periodic acid Schiff stain (E. Grigorieva)
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