Storage Facilities

The tissue bank has the capability to store tens of thousands of paraffin blocks, slides, and frozen fluid samples.

Refrigerators (4° C)

All unstained slides are stored in metal drawers inside refrigerators or a walk-in cold room. The refrigerators are easily accessible for the addition and removal of slides. The location of each slide in the refrigerator is catalogued in a central database making retrieval quick and easy.

-80° C Ultra Low Temperature Freezers

Plasma, blood, serum, derivatives such as DNA and RNA, and urine samples are stored in small plastic vials inside cardboard boxes. The boxes are stored in large metal drawers, with each drawer holding over 20 boxes. The location of each sample is catalogued in a central database making retrieval quick and easy.

Paraffin Block Cabinets

Paraffin blocks and tissue microarrays are stored in a variety of paraffin block cabinets. Paraffin blocks are stored at room temperature. The location of each sample is catalogued in a central database making retrieval quick and easy.

TMA Facility

The Tissue MicroArray facility is collaboration between the NCIC Clinical Trials Group and Queens University department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. The facility falls under the Queen’s Laboratory for Molecular Pathology

Tissue microarray construction involves removal of small tissue cores (0.6mm to 2.0 mm in diameter) from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumors blocks (the donor blocks) and placed into a single empty "recipient" block, using a custom-built precision instrument. See animations below:

TMA Construction Animation

TMA Sectioning Animation

Digital Pathology

Overview

The TTDR is equipped with an Aperio CS Scanscope digital slide scanner obtained in collaboration with Queen's University Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine. The scanner has allowed the TTDR to create high resolution images of TMA sections and regular slides. TTDR also has a Aperio FL Scanscope for imaging fluorescent stained slides and multiplexing. The scanners are equipped with software for automated image analysis.

By clicking on the thumbnail below you will be taken to a page that will allow you to zoom in further on the image.