1. How are the slides processed, and is there a quality control program for Tissue Array preparation?
Tissues are processed from the point of fixation in paraformaldehyde until clearing in xylene by a standardized autoprocessor program. Highly-qualified paraffin-embedded blocks are sectioned off by a disposable blade in a microtome. The pathologist differentiates between cancer and pathologic regions in H&E stained slides. Precise input of the exact coordinates into a computer program allows a newly made array block to be constituted by delicately arranging tissue cores.
The final QC step is completed by the same pathologists who initially prepared the TMA.


2. Why is the PetaGen tissue array superior?
We have analyzed and addressed nearly every issue related to current TMA slide needs: large numbers of tissues of various types; pathologic tissue alongside of its cancer matching pair from the the same organ; stubborn adherence of tissues to withstand the strain of the staining procedure; regular and precise arrangement of section spots; detailed pathological and clinical information attached not only to the diseased but also the cancer tissues.
And all this at a very reasonable price!

3. What are the limitations of Tissue Array slides?
A small tissue core may result in an insufficient number of cells and tissue loss can often occur. To overcome these limitations, as many tissue cores of appropriate size are inserted in a duplicate/triplicate manner as possible under optimal conditions.


4.What kind of information is provided for each tissue specimen?
The patient's personal information is kept strictly confidential, but age, sex and diagnosis will be included as a matter of course. We provide a detailed clinical history of each tissue section so that each slide can also be used for scientific research related to the clinical area.