Lab Coordinator: Linda Jenkins
The Histopathology Lab (HPL) is equipped to do routine paraffin and plastic embedding sections. It
has state of the art sectioning, polishing and staining equipment
and numerous smaller pieces of equipment such as a magnetic stirrer,
vacuum pump, oven, etc.
Standard Operating Procedures
SOP # 10 (Staining Osteoid and Collagen in Plastic Embedded Sections) SOP # 11 (Technovit 7100: GMA Embedding
Protocol) SOP # 13 (Non-fixative/short cycle)SOP # 15 (Methylene Blue/Basic Fuchsin
Staining Procedure) SOP # 17 (Cleaning Microscope Slides and
Coverglasses) SOP # 19 (Processing Schedule - Methyl Methacrylate Embedding)SOP # 20 (Rapid Richard-Allan™ Hematoxylin
& Eosin For Frozen Sections) Toluidine Blue Technique for GMA Sections 
To evaluate the tissue reaction to an implanted material, it is imperative to maintain the implant/tissue interface. For soft tissues containing compliant implants, routine paraffin techniques are quite adequate to maintain the implant/tissue interface.
However,
for hard tissues or tissues containing stiff implants paraffin
techniques are not adequate. Clemson’s Bioengineering Histopathology
Laboratory (HPL) has the unique capability of processing hard tissue
sections containing a variety of metallic and/or ceramic implants.
To prepare such specimens an in-house technique has been developed
based loosely on the Donath Technique. A variety of specialized saws
containing diamond-coated blades are employed in this technique.
After slab sectioning of the plastic embedded sections, they are ground and polished on an automatic grinder to a thinness of approximately 10-micron.
The HPL
also has the capabilities of an "in-between" method of sectioning by
using the automated Polycut E sliding microtome that uses blades
made of tungsten-carbide. This instrument is ideal for sectioning
many plastics and some soft metals.
A variety of stains are employed for microscopic evaluation. The HPL is under the supervision of a board-certified histologist. Linda Jenkins.
