Histology
The histology capability offers a suite of precision instruments for high-quality specimen preparation and sectioning.
Sections are suitable for histochemical, or immunochemical staining techniques for light microscopy-based investigations (fluorescence and bright-field), or for qualitative and quantitative confocal microscopic analyses. In addition, we have equipment for the preparation of thick slices for tissue clearing techniques.
Our facility is available to all teaching and research institutions, including industry and commercial clients. We can provide advice on experimental design, services in specimen preparation and training on histology techniques. We work with samples from diverse origins, including invertebrates, plants and animals.
We are committed to providing high-quality research support and services to our customers. As part of our ongoing commitment to quality, the facility is currently seeking ISO9001 certification. Read our quality statement.
We can offer:
- expertise in project planning and experimental design
- initial and on-going project consultation
- specimen preparation service (for research and undergraduate teaching)
- training in histology techniques
- access to facility for self-use.
- Plant and animal histology
- Automated specimen processing
- Embedding of tissues in paraffin or OCT compound
- Precise thin sectioning of paraffin-embedded, and fresh- or fixed frozen cryostat-frozen tissues
- Preparation of thick sections and tissue slices
- Histological staining followed by qualitative and quantitative analysis of images.
- Optimization of tissue preparation for immunostaining
Optimization of antigen unmasking protocols, comparison between paraffin-embedded versus OCT embedding and immunofluorescence versus ABC staining for maximal antigen visualization
- Spatio-temporal mapping of disease development
Qualitative and quantitative estimations of markers of disease pathology over the course of disease development and of drug effects. Screening of candidate therapeutics.
- Optimization of tissue preparation for spatial transcriptomics
Best practice for handling and preparation of tissues prior to embedding and sectioning and storage after sectioning.
- Quantitative evaluations of cellular changes
Evaluation of cellular changes and cellular interactions by histological staining, followed by ImageJ analysis. Applicable to developmental studies.
Leica TP1020 tissue processor
Automated fixation, dehydration and wax impregnation of tissue specimens.
Leica EG1150 tissue embedder
Embedding of tissue specimens in paraffin wax for subsequent microtome sectioning. Used in conjunction with the Leica RM2235 microtome.
Leica RM2235 microtome
Manual precision sectioning of paraffin embedded tissue (2- 40 µm range). Capable of sectioning relatively hard materials.
Leica CM1950 cryostat microtome
Rapid specimen freezing. Cryosectioning of frozen OCT-embedded tissues (2-60 µm range). Equipped with a CryoJane tape-transfer system for cryosectioning of difficult tissues.
Leica VT1200 vibrating blade microtome
Precision sectioning of fresh tissue samples (25-500 µm range). Particularly suited to sectioning of brain tissues. Tissue sections suitable for tissue clearing techniques such as CLARITY.
The histology facility has contributed to a number of publications. Our selected recent publications include:
- de Vries ME, Carpinelli MR, Fuller JN, Sutton Y, Partridge DD, Auden A, Anderson PJ, Jane SM, Dworkin S (2024). Grainyhead-like 2 interacts with noggin to regulate tissue fusion in mouse. Development 151, dev202420. doi:10.1242/dev.202420
- Balaur E, O’ Toole S, Spurling AJ, Mann GB, Yeo B, Harvey K, Sadatnajafi C, Hanssen E, Orian JM, Nugent KA, Parker BS, Abbey B (2021). Colorimetric histology using plasmonically active microscope slides. Nature 598: 65-71. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03835-2
- Samuel M, Fonseka P , Sanwlani R, Gangoda L, Chee SH , Keerthikumar S, Spurling A , Chitti SV, Zanker D, Ang CS, Atukorala I , Kang T, Shahi S, Marzan AL, Nedeva C , Vennin C, Lucas MC, Cheng L, Herrmann D , Pathan M , Chisanga D, Warren SC, Zhao K, Abraham N, Anand S, Boukouris S, Adda CG, Jiang LZ, Shekhar T, Baschuk N, Hawkins CJ , Johnston AJ, Orian JM, Hoogenraad NJ, Poon KI , Hill AF, Jois M , Timpson P, Parker B and Mathivanan S (2020). Oral administration of bovine milk-derived extracellular vesicles induces senescence in the primary tumor but accelerates cancer metastasis. Nat Commun. 2021 Jun 24;12(1):3950. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-24273-8
- Cerra C, Harris MA, Hawkins CJ (2021). Establishment and Characterisation of Metastatic Extraskeletal Ewing Sarcoma Mouse Models. IN VIVO, vol. 35, no. 6, https://doi.org/10.21873/invivo.12604
- D’Souza CS, Li Z, Maxwell DL, Trusler O, Murphy M, Crewther S, Peter K, Orian JM (2018). Platelets drive inflammation and target grey matter and the retina in autoimmune-mediated encephalomyelitis. J Neuropath Exp Neurol, 77 (7): 567-576. doi: 10.1093/jnen/nly032.
The platform’s contributions to research outputs (e.g., publications, presentations, posters) should be acknowledged where possible. These contributions could include:
- paid technical help and services
- accessing research equipment
- scientific advice
- writing assistance.
Proper acknowledgement enables us to demonstrate our value to the research community and highlight our impact on research excellence, which is critical to securing continued funding for our services. Our staff are also researchers with extensive experience and citing them helps to advance their careers.
In cases where substantial intellectual and experimental contributions were made by platform staff, co-authorship must also be offered in accordance with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, regardless of whether payment was made for the services. Researchers should also notify the platform of any publications arising from the support provided by our staff, regardless of whether a co-authorship is offered.
Learn more about how to acknowledge us:
All publications resulting from the use of our services and facilities should include this acknowledgement:
‘The authors acknowledge the La Trobe University [Platform Name] for [support received].’
e.g., The authors acknowledge the La Trobe University Proteomics and Metabolomics Platform for the provision of instrumentation, training and technical support.
OR
e.g., The authors acknowledge the La Trobe University Statistics Consultancy Platform for providing advice on statistical analysis.
If you received significant assistance, guidance or help from our platform staff, or where staff have personally generated research data, they should be acknowledged by name:
‘The authors thank [Staff Name] from the La Trobe University [Platform Name] for [his/her/their] support and guidance in this work.’
e.g., The authors thank [Staff Name] from the La Trobe University Proteomics and Metabolomics Platform for collecting and analysing data for proteomics studies, shown in Figure X.
If a platform staff contribute more than just routine techniques or advice, they should be invited to be a co-author on the publications that describe the data. This applies to the development or adaptation of protocols to suit specific experiments, samples or materials, (re)design of experiments, and extensive data analysis and interpretation.
Co-authorship is independent of whether payment was made for the work/ service.
We gratefully acknowledge the Clive and Vera Ramaciotti and Rebecca L. Cooper Foundations for providing funds to purchase the Leica cryostat and vibrating blade microtomes respectively.
Access
We work with both academic researchers and industry partners, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. We provide a range of access models to suit different needs, including:
- Instrument access
We provide instrument-specific training to researchers. Training is designed to enable users to operate the instruments competently and obtain publication-quality data.
Users are charged at an hourly rate based on the instrument they use. - Fee-for-service
We conduct service work for teaching staff, academic researchers and industry, including experimental design, sample preparation, data acquisition and image analysis. We can tailor our service provision to suit your needs, contact us to discuss your project.
Contact us
For more information about this capability and to access the histology facility, please contact:
Dr Jacqueline Orian
T: +61 3 9479 1113
E: J.Orian@latrobe.edu.au or bioimaging@latrobe.edu.au