Tissue and Cell Molecular Analysis (TACMA) Tissue Microarray (TMA) Construction

Beacher ATA-27 automated tissue microarray constructor

TACMA personnel are experienced in constructing custom tissue arrays for investigators who provide the appropriate paraffin blocks. The region(s) of the block to be cored and mounted in the array are marked on a hematoxylin and eosin stained slide of each block by a pathologist. In conjunction with the investigator's wishes, an electronic TMA map is created, indicating the position and origin of each core in the tissue microarray. This map is then used to set up the actual construction of the array.

TACMA has an automated tissue microarray constructor, the Beacher ATA-27, which can create arrays containing as many as 540 tissue cores. Each core is 0.6 millimeters (mm) in diameter. Spacing among the cores can also be adjusted to create smaller arrays.

In addition to investigator designed tissue arrays, TACMA staff has constructed sets of normal tissue and disease tissue arrays that are useful for screening new antibodies.