- How do I make slices at different angles?
- Would the temperature fluctuations from agarose embedding cause damage to the cells?
- How many embedding tube sizes do you have?
- Do you have a way to control the buffer bath temperature?
- Can I use this to cut tissues other than brain?
- What's the difference between the VF-200 and the VF-300?
- Why do you have a vibrating setting where the blade doesn't vibrate at all?
- When do you recommend slicing at a warm temperature?
- Why should I use your slicer to cut my fixed tissues over a cryostat?
- Has anyone used your slicers?
- I am very excited about your slicer, how do I get one?
How do I make slices at different angles?
With the VF-200 and VF-300, we use a metal tube to embed the tissue blocks, and then use a plunger to push the tissue out through the tube. You can think of the front of the plunger as the platform that you put your tissue on. You would cut your tissue according to the angle that you would like to slice, and then glue that block on the plunger. If you would like to have slices at 45 degrees from the horizontal, you should block your tissue so that the base that you are gluing to the plunger is 45 degrees.
Would the temperature fluctuations from agarose embedding cause damage to the cells?
It is true that there is some temperature fluctuation during the embedding
process. But what we found is that the embedding allows us to dramatically
slow, and sometimes eliminate the knife's vibrating frequency, greatly reducing
the mechanical stress on the slices.
In addition, we will be providing you with the tools to make this temperature
fluctuation as mild and as quick as possible. Here is how we do that.
a. We provide a brass block with a hole in the middle that fits the embedding
tube snugly. You first place this block on ice to chill it.
b. Melt the agarose (with gel point at 37 degrees Celsius), and then bring
it down to around 39 to 40 degrees in a water bath.
c. Pipette the agarose into the specimen tube.
d. Put brass block around the tube to chill the agarose and the tissue
down to the pre-embedding temperature within a few seconds.
How many specimen tube sizes do you have?
There are three different tube sizes for the VF-200,
VF-300 and VF-600.
They are standard size (12.5 mm), large size (15.5 mm) and small size (6
mm in diameter). You should choose a tube size that is the closest to slicing
needs for the best results. The standard tube is good for mouse and young
rat brains. The large tube is good for adult rat brain.
The specimen tube size for the VF-700
is 22 mm in diameter. There are four specimen tube sizes for the VF-800.
They are 75, 100, 125 and 150 mm diameter tubes. You can only choose one
tube size for this machine.
Do you have a way to control the buffer bath temperature?
We currently do not have a temperature regulator to control the buffer bath
temperature. Our microtome slices at a fairly efficient speed that it can
finish slicing your tissues within a few minutes. Using an icy bath is enough
to maintain the tissue temperature during this period of time.
Can I use this to cut tissues other than brain?
Besides cutting brain tissues, you can use the Compresstome to section most
of the soft animal tissues, such as liver, kidney, lung, heart, skeletal
muscle, pancreas, retina, skin and aorta. You can also use the machine to
section soft plant tissues.
What's the difference between the VF-200 and the VF-300?
The VF-200 is the semi-automatic model
with a slice thickness resolution of 10 microns. You have to manually advance
the tissue through the tube with the micrometer. Thus, it is suitable for
slicing live tissues for electrophysiology and tissue culture where the
thickness requirement is 150 micron and up.
The VF-300 is a fully automatic model
with a slice thickness resolution of 1 micron. It has a digital control
that advances the tissue with extreme accuracy. The VF-300
also has a continuous slicing mode in which you can set the per-slice thickness
and hit the start button. The microtome will cut all of the slices for you.
Due to this additional precision and automation, the VF-300
can be used for cutting fixed tissues for immunohistochemistry as well as
cutting live tissues.
Why do you have a vibrating setting where the blade
doesn't vibrate at all?
With our patented technology, we find that we can turn off the vibration
when slicing tissues of younger animals that are less fibrous. The elimination
of the vibration further reduces mechanical stress from the tissue slices,
making much healthier slices.
When do you recommend slicing at a warm temperature?
We recommend slicing brain slices in warm temperature for animal younger
than P25. Warm slicing eliminates the temperature shock and speeds up slice
recovery. During temperature shock, cells will depolarize and fire action
potentials which loads the cell up with Na+ and Ca2+.
Why should I use your slicer to cut my fixed tissues
over a cryostat?
Our microtomes have a number of advantages over cryostat, as described in
the immunohistochemistry section.
Its simpler protocol, stronger signals, consistent slice thickness, better
histology image, and ease of use are just some of the reasons why the VF-600,
VF-700 are preferrable for free-floating
section immunohistochemistry.
Has anyone used your slicers?
Since the introduction of the VF-200 in
late 2005, we have a number of labs in both the United States and Europe
that has purchased and raved about the VF series of slicers. If you would
like, please email us at info@precisionary.com
and we will provide you with references.
I am very excited about your slicer, how do I get
one?
You can email us at info@precisionary.com to request a quote.
We do not have a demo program at this point. However, we are so confident
of our vibratory microtome's capability that we are offering a 3 month full
refund policy so that you can try it for three months risk free to ensure
that it will work in your lab. When ordering, please indicate the size of
specimen tube for your machine. There are two specimen tube sizes. The standard
size is 12.5 mm in diameter which is good for young rat (younger than P40)
and mouse brains. The large size is 15.5 mm in diameter, suitable for embedding
the entire adult rat brain.