[Histonet] tissue slicer

Sat Apr 24 10:30:52 CDT 2004

I have been away at Experimental Biology.  Is it too late to get in on this one?

I want to correct a missimpresion.  The Vibratome(TM) requires no embedding, is routinely used with living tissue to create sections for brain slice recording.  Most brain slice people regard the Vibratome as necessary for gentlest handling of the tissue.  Simple block the tissue with a razor blade, then use instant cyanoacrylate glue to hold the tissue in place on the pedestal.  Cut any thickness you want down to as low as 30 microns.

The egg slicer will crush the tissue, unless it is quite firm like a boiled egg, for the same reason you can walk on a bed of nails if there are lots of them, the weight is distributed to avoid penetration.

Cordially,
Charles W.  Scouten, Ph.D. 
myNeuroLab.com 
5918 Evergreen Blvd. 
St. Louis, MO 63134 
Ph: 314 522 0300  
FAX  314 522 0377 
cwscouten <@t> myneurolab.com 
http://www.myneurolab.com 

-----Original Message-----
From: Alan Bright [mailto:abright <@t> brightinstruments.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 10:33 AM
To: Doug Martin; Charles Scouten; Jim G. Unnerstall
Subject: FW: [Histonet] tissue slicer

And this
Best regards

Alan Bright

Bright Instrument Co. Ltd
England

-----Original Message-----
From: Geoff McAuliffe [mailto:mcauliff <@t> umdnj.edu]
Sent: 20 April 2004 18:05
To: k.whalley <@t> ich.ucl.ac.uk
Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
Subject: Re: [Histonet] tissue slicer

Almost forgot ...........

There is a device called a "Stadie-Riggs tissue slicer" that will slice 
fresh tissue fairly thin, a few hundred microns. Thomas Scientific sells

them, I don't know if anyone else does. A few hundred dollars in US 
currency, I think.

Geoff

Katy Whalley wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Thanks to everyone for your advice and suggestions. It seems I might 
>have to re-think the thickness of the slices required - in retrospect, 
>I was probably aiming too low anyway. Basically, the reason we want to 
>cut them quickly is in order to culture the slices later, so I'm not 
>sure a vibratome or cryostat would be appropriate as I think the tissue

>would have to be embedded/ frozen first. Overall the 'egg-slicer' or 
>matrix type of device seem like they may be the best option, but I may 
>try to make my own, as described by Geoff, to cut costs a bit.
>
>Katy
>
> Bad vibes, man.
>  
>
>>But, Geoff, your device would work, but as you note, not for less than

>>1000 micron slices, definitely not 30 - 300 micron, and there'd be 
>>more tissue damage from compression. A vibratome is pretty much the 
>>only choice, there is no "all slices at once" instrument that I've 
>>seen.
>>
>>Phil
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Always wondered what a vibratome was.
>>>I've got a wifatome.
>>>
>>>Dr Terry L Marshall, B.A.(Law), M.B.,Ch.B.,F.R.C.Path  Consultant 
>>>Pathologist  Rotherham General Hospital
>>> South Yorkshire
>>> England
>>>        terry.marshall <@t> rothgen.nhs.uk
>>>
>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>From: Geoff McAuliffe [mailto:mcauliff <@t> umdnj.edu]
>>>Sent: 19 April 2004 19:08
>>>To: k.whalley <@t> ich.ucl.ac.uk
>>>Cc: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>>>Subject: Re: [Histonet] tissue slicer
>>>
>>>
>>>Hi Katy:
>>>
>>>    You could buy a Vibratome, a device with a vibrating blade that 
>>>will cut fixed or unfixed tissue at a thickness you select. I think 
>>>there are several models and vendors.
>>>    Or, you could make an inexpensive device for little more than 
>>>pocket change. Buy some high-quality double-edge razor blades and 
>>>some material to use for spacing the blades. For 1 mm or more use 
>>>square aluminum rod, for 0.5 mm or less use "shim stock". A 
>>>well-stocked hardware store or maching shop will have these items. 
>>>Use "super-glue" to glue up a "blade-spacer-blade-spacer-blade ..." 
>>>tool with as many blades as your project demands. One 'application' 
>>>of the tool to the sample will give you uniform and reproducable 
>>>slices.  Be sure to  cut off or mask the edge of the blade not in use

>>>so you won't cut yourself.
>>>
>>>Geoff
>>>
>>>Katy Whalley wrote:
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Hi,
>>>>
>>>>We are looking for a device which can be used to cut tissue quickly 
>>>>into slices of an even thickness. We're not sure yet exactly how 
>>>>thick these will be but something in the range 30-300 microns is 
>>>>likely. My supervisor has in mind something in which several blades 
>>>>are attached to a holder that keeps them the correct distance apart,

>>>>so that all the slices are cut
>>>>at once. Has anyone ever used/ seen this kind of thing, or anything
else
>>>>which would do the job?
>>>>
>>>>thanks,
>>>>Katy, UCL
>>>>        
>>>>
>>--
>>Philip Oshel
>>Supervisor, BBPIC microscopy facility
>>Department of Animal Sciences
>>University of Wisconsin
>>1675 Observatory Drive
>>Madison,  WI  53706 - 1284
>>voice: (608) 263-4162
>>fax: (608) 262-5157 (dept. fax)
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Histonet mailing list
>>Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>>http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
>>
>>    
>>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Histonet mailing list
>Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet
>
>  
>

-- 
--
**********************************************
Geoff McAuliffe, Ph.D.
Neuroscience and Cell Biology
Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854
voice: (732)-235-4583; fax: -4029 
mcauliff <@t> umdnj.edu
**********************************************

_______________________________________________
Histonet mailing list
Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet