19 Valuable contributions to biobanking
The success of the investigations carried out in Biobanking facilities depends on the samples being maintained in optimum condition – something which is highly dependent on the storage techniques and equipment. At the LifeLines project, the Panasonic freezer system is used for preserving the samples from thousands of participants while still maintaining the units’ lowest possible energy consumption. To ensure viability, each and every sample is kept in a stable, reliable environment, and is constantly monitored to ensure that optimum temperatures are maintained over many years.
Thanks to having such a large and well-maintained collection of sample information, the LifeLines project is already contributing to a range of well-received studies. The project looks set to go from strength to strength, and will further our knowledge of healthy aging and chronic disease.
Figure 2. Multiple Panasonic, formally Sanyo, ultra-low freezers in use at Lifelines Project
Since the purchase of the freezer system by the LifeLines project, an updated model has been produced by Panasonic. This latest model incorporates a Twin Guard Dual Cooling system, specifically designed to provide the highest possible security. Having two individually controlled compressors not only maintains an ultra-low temperature within the freezer chamber, but also means that should there be a problem with one compressor, the second will maintain a working freezer temperature of -70°C until service is arranged.
Figure 3. LifeLines project storage facility
Keep Paraffin Blocks as Cold as Ice
Histological examination is considered the gold standard for detection, diagnosis and characterisation of many clinical conditions, and producing suitable sections for microscopic examination constitutes one of the primary skills of the histologist.
Preparing and embedding tissue in a suitable matrix enables the technician to produce sections of an appropriate thickness for pathological analysis. Paraffin wax continues to be the most popular embedding medium, due to its low cost and ease of use, facilitating long-term storage of the embedded tissue blocks. To promote good ribbon generation, the paraffin block needs to be sufficiently hard to enable the sections to be cut on the microtome.
This is routinely achieved by placing the paraffin blocks on ice, cooling both the tissue and the wax to a similar consistency and swelling the tissue to make it easier to section. As the block heats up, however, the paraffin softens and expands, resulting in corrugation and variations in the consistency of the sections, rendering some unsuitable for use.
Technicians therefore have a finite time in which they can section and, as a result, have to continually remove the block from the microtome and re-cool it on ice to achieve the quality of sections required for downstream analysis, impacting workflow and laboratory throughput.
The Thermo Scientific Cool Cut Clamp is a peltier-cooled specimen clamp which helps to address this issue by maintaining the paraffin block at a suitable temperature for sectioning for a prolonged period. Compatible with all the Thermo Scientific HM range of rotary microtomes, the Thermo Scientific Cool Cut provides laboratories with the ability to achieve consistent section thickness when cutting individual, step and serial sections, with minimal interruptions.
MORE INFO. 58 G100
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CO2 and O2 monitor for
Portable, accurate and reliable
Measures CO2 0-20% Optional O2 0-100%
Datalogging with user-set intervals
Used in IVF applications around the world
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