MIMR Histology Facility

Overview

The MIMR Histology Facility was established in 1999 to support the needs of researchers and students at MIMR. The Facility provides services for the Monash Health Translation Precinct and external clients. Our aim is to provide high quality, reliable and cost effective histological services. We are able to offer advice on all aspects of histology, from fixation through to staining. Our professional services are available to all MIMR, MHTP and external personnel and we also offer training and supervision to staff and students wishing to use the Facility and it's equipment.

Professional Services

• Decalcification
• Sample preparation
• Processing
• Embedding
• Microtome and cryostat sectioning
• Routine and special staining
• Training and advice

Stains Available

• Haematoxylin and eosin
• Periodic acid - Schiff's reaction
• Augustin's trichrome

Other special stains available upon request

Equipment

• Leica TP 1020 Automatic Tissue Processor
• Leica EG 1160 Paraffin Embedding Centre
• 2 sectioning stations equipped with Leica microtomes (one with resin sectioning capabilities) floatation baths and drying plates
• Leica CM 3050 Cryostat
• Staining and coverslipping station

Sample Submission

• Samples must be properly fixed and transferred to 70% ethanol in a sealed container before being submitted to the MIMR Histology Facility.
• Your samples must be clearly marked, both on the container and on the cassettes. Be aware that we will label your cassettes with our own reference number. You need to leave a writing panel free for this purpose.
• Using a coding system on samples is highly recommended. Codes should be simple as we will recode complicated experimental data written on cassettes.

Resources

The MIMR Histology Facility has a booklet for training in histological techniques.
You can download the whole booklet or just the sections you are interested in.

Full Histology Handbook
Introduction
Fixation
Processing
Embedding
Sectioning
Staining

Working Partnerships

The MIMR Histology Facility has excellent working relationships with other core facilities, both within MIMR and Monash University.

We work closely with the Histological Laboratory Services Facility on the Clayton Campus and the two facilities are working towards standardising operating procedures, protocols and methods. This collaboration enables us to offer a much broader range of services than would otherwise be available, such as sledge microtomes for larger samples, vacuum processing for dense tissue like bone, and a long list of special stains.

For high end imaging we refer our users to the Monash Micro Imaging Facility.

Contact Us

For pricing and bookings and further details please email the Histology Team or call us on (03) 9594 5618. We are located on Level 5, Room EH31 B Block MMC.