Research Histology Services

Sample Preparation Services

Grossing

  • What is Grossing? ​Cutting of specimens to size for further processing.

  

Processing (Paraffin samples only)

  • What is Processing? Dehydration of samples and impregnation of sample with paraffin
     

  • What does the customer provide?

    1. Samples in properly labelled cassettes in fixative. Cassettes should also be labelled/numbered to correspond to specimen identification form, or
       

    2.  Tissue is received from customer in tubes or containers containing fixative and labelled/numbered to correspond to the specimen identification form.
       

  • What does RHS provide?

    1. ​​If samples are received in cassetts, samples will be impregnated with paraffin ready for embedding, or
       

    2. If tissue is received in tubes or containers containing fixitive, RHS will label cassettes as per the specimen identification form and place specimens into cassettes. Samples will then be impregnated with paraffin ready for embedding
       

 

Embedding Tissue (Paraffin samples only)

  • What is Embedding? Placing of processed tissue into a mold that can later be used for sectioning.
     

  • What does the customer provide?

    • The customer must provide tissue already empregnated with paraffin (see above).
       

    • Mulitple specimens can be placed per mold if they are solid organs (brain, lung, liver, etc.), or positioning of hollow/tubular organs (intestine, colon, etc.) can be requested.
       

  • What does RHS provide? RHS will provide a paraffin block containing your specimen(s). Blocks will be labelled to correspond to the specimen identification form.

 

Frozen Embedding (OCT samples)

  • What is Frozen Embedding? Placing of processed tissue into an OCT mold that can later be used for frozen sectioning.
     

  • What does the customer provide?

    • ​The customer must provide specimens in fixative with instructions on desired orientation.
       

    • Multiple specimens can be placed per mold if they are solid organs (brain, lung, liver, etc.), or positioning of hollow/tubular organs (intestine, colon, etc.) can be requested.
       

  • What does RHS provide? RHS will provide an OCT frozen block containing your specimen(s). Blocks will be labelled to correspond to the specimen identification form.

 

Decalcification

  • What is decalcification? The removal of calcium from bone samples.
     

  • What does the customer provide? Samples that are in need of processing and embedding but require removal of calcium prior to processing.
     

  • What does RHS provide? RHS will treat the customers samples to remove calcium prior to proceeding into on of the processing steps above.

 

Melting Down and Reimbedding Specimens

  • What is this service? Sometimes there is a need to remove specimens from a paraffin block in order to reorient or treat the tissue differently.
     

  • What does the customer provide? Blocks already embedded in paraffin or OCT blocks.
     

  • What does RHS provide? RHS will take care  with your tissues to remove the old embedding material, reorient your tissues, and will provide a new paraffin block. Please note that this service requires a charge for an hourly rate for time used by the RHS lab member as well as a per block charge as listed under the appropriate "Embedding" section above.