About the Lab

The USC School of Pharmacy Histology Laboratory, located on the 4th floor of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, is ready to help you with your histology and pathology research. This school-wide core laboratory is open to any USC researcher and has everything you will need to make microscope slides from tissue samples. Tissues can be paraffin embedded, sectioned and stained in the laboratory. Sectioning can involve making microtome, vibratome and cryostat thin slices. You can also make color photographs of your microscopic images for publication. Expert advice is available concerning staining techniques and the interpretation of microscopic images.

Resources

The Histology Laboratory houses the following instruments and accessories:

Microm Spin Tissue Processor STP 120

Components/Accessories:

• Main Unit
• Individual Tissue Carriers

Capacity:The tissue processor automatically dehydrates and paraffin infiltrates tissue samples.

Microm Tissue Embedding Center EC 350

Components/Accessories:

• Main Unit
• Cooling Unit

Capacity: At this station, paraffin infiltrated tissues are embedded in wax and mounted on cassettes.

Microm Rotary Microtome

Components/Accessories:

• Main Unit
• Disposable Blades
• Water Bath

Capacity: The microtome cuts thin sections of paraffin embedded tissue cassettes with a disposable blade. The blade can be quickly replaced as necessary. The water bath is used to float the thin sections onto microscope slides.

Vibratome

Components/Accessories:

• Main Unit
• Disposable Blades
• Water Bath
• Light

Capacity: The vibratome is used to cut sections of formaldehyde fixed soft tissues, such as brain. Sections are mounted onto microscope slides.

Microm Cryostat HM 525

Capacity: Frozen tissue samples are thin sectioned with the cryostat. Tissues do not need to be fixed. Frozen sections are directly mounted onto microscope slides.

CryoJane

Components/Accessories:

• Main unit mounted on and inside cryostat

Capacity: Bone samples and other tissues that are difficult to mount as frozen sections are processed with the CryoJane. The unit provides a permanent adhesive mounting onto slides.

Thermo Shandon Hyperclean Station

Components/Accessories:

• Main Unit
• Air Filtration Unit

Capacity: Slide mounted specimens can be cover slipped and preserved in mounting medium at this station that provides -air filtration to remove fumes. Small batches of slide mounted specimens can be stained at this station.

Zeiss Axioskop Microscope

Components/Accessories:

• Microscope
• Camera
• Computer

Capacity: Microscope slides are examined and photographed at this station. Photomicrographs are saved onto CDs for permanent storage and publication.

Instruments	Charge/Slide		Charge/Year with Unlimited Access
	School of Pharmacy	Other USC Users	School of Pharmacy	Other USC Users
All instruments	$10	$10	$3,000	$3,000

Special rates:

Investigators who intend to process many tissue samples and produce many microscope slides are encouraged to talk to Professor Adams about bulk rates. Investigators who pay the bulk rate can be trained to process tissues and will be given access to the lab and its resources.

Scheduling

Dr. He coordinates the lab schedule. Her contact information is below.

Lab Policies

Dr. He is in charge of the daily use of the lab. She trains and directs students and investigators who use the lab. She also schedules weekend use of the lab by experienced investigators. Professor Adams supervises the lab and coordinates chargebacks.

Contact Us

Lab location:
PSC 402A
Health Sciences Campus
USC School of Pharmacy
1985 Zonal Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90033

James Adams, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
USC School of Pharmacy, PSC 716
(323) 442-1362
jadams@usc.edu

For technical training, scheduling and assistance with applications, please contact:

Lina He, M.D.
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
USC School of Pharmacy, PSC 402B
323-442-2157
linahe@usc.edu