Rigid Embedding of Fixed and Stained, Whole, Millimeter-Scale Specimens for Section-free 3D Histology by Micro-Computed TomographyAlex Y. Lin 1,2, Yifu Ding 1,2,3, Daniel J. Vanselow 1,2, Spencer R. Katz 1,2,3, Maksim A. Yakovlev 1,2, Darin P. Clark 4, David Mandrell 5, Jean E. Copper 1,2, Damian B. van Rossum 1,2, Keith C. Cheng 1,2
1The Jake Gittlen Laboratories for Cancer Research, Penn State College of Medicine, 2Division of Experimental Pathology, Department of Pathology, Penn State College of Medicine, 3Medical Scientist Training Program, Penn State College of Medicine, 4Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke University Medical Center, 5KTM Research
We developed protocols and designed a custom apparatus to enable embedding of millimeter-scale specimens. We present sample preparation procedures with an emphasis on embedding in acrylic resin and polyimide tubing to achieve rigid immobilization and long-term storage of specimens for the interrogation of tissue architecture and cell morphology by micro-CT.
