Core facilities
Animal Histopathology
Pathology is the link that connects basic research and clinical practice. It is the primary discipline that handles diseased tissue and provides the interpretation of these specimens, enabling clinicians to make informed decisions about patient care. Pathology traditionally has provided morphologic interpretation of specimens from affected tissues and organs, yet it is known that lesions are characterized by multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations. While knowledge of these molecular changes in human disease continues to expand, the ability to translate this information into routine clinical practice is lagging. Today, pathologists must analyze tissue samples not only on the basis of morphology, but also at the level of genetic and epigenetic events.
Mouse disease models have enormous potential as a further link between preclinical, mechanistic research and clinical practice. It is now clear, however, that the rate-limiting step in functional analysis of mutant mice in the future will not be the availability of mouse models, but may instead be the availability of well-trained and expert pathobiologists to engage with and contribute to the effort.
Mission
The Mouse Histopathology facility offers extensive technical and scientific expertise to support pathology requirements of scientists, ensuring consistent and reliable results. The role of the comparative pathology in the field of experimental studies on laboratory animal is of interest for:
- supplying routinary histologic and immunophenotipical techniques, evaluating the more suitable procedure, based on the expected results
- indentification and evaluation of experimentally induced lesions
- setting of animal models of human diseases
- efficacy and safety studies
- phenotyping of transgenic mice
- evaluation of experimental model correlating the animal models with the human physiologic and/or pathologic counterpart
The mouse histopathology service is fully equipped to perform automated processing of FFPE tissue sections, with a panel of staining procedures ranging from conventional histochemical methods to molecular characterization using standard or customized antibodies in immunohistochemistry. Processed samples can be digitally acquired and stored for image processing and morphometric analysis with an Aperio ePathology digital scanner. Services are provided on a fee-for-service basis both for intramural research groups and for extramural customers.
List of currently provided services
- Paraffin Block Processing/Embedding
Standard processing
Re-embedding - Paraffin Block Sectioning
Unstained Slide (from 2 to 4 um)
Levels (Section from 2 to 4 um)
Surcharge for molecular studies in tubes (10 um section) - Staining of FFPE (Formalin Fixed Paraffin Embedded) Sections
H&E
Sirius Red
IHC Staining of Paraffin Section "Routine" Antibody*
IHC Staining of Paraffin Section Antibody
Antibody Test Optimization "Routine Antibody"
Antibody Test Optimization
(*"Routine" Antibodies: Ki67 Clone SP6, Ki67 Clone TEC3, F4/80, Collagen-I, Collagen-IV, CD34, GFP, PCNA pc10, CD3, CD8a, alpha-SMA, Lyve-1; development with anti-Rabbit -Mouse or -Rat HRP system) - Digital Slide Scanning and temporary storage
Scanner Brightfield 20x
Scanner Brightfield 40x
Charges can vary upon the number of services requested. Costs differ depending on whether a collaborative or purely fee-for-service option is chosen.
Projects requiring significant microsope time, interpretation or background reading i.e. those projects which utilize pathologist time over and above routine interpretation can be approached either on a fee for service or collaborative basis. The former option will have an hourly pathologists fee added to the material cost. In the latter collaborative option, material costs only are charged, and is included as co-author on any publication for which the pathologist provides images and text.
For any general info and special requests, write to:
- fiocchi.amleto@hsr.it | +39 02 2643 6395
- silva.matteo@hsr.it | +39 02 2643 6898
For submit a request, click here