JOVE Videos Featuring the Compresstome Vibrating Microtome

We’re proud to announce that our line of Compresstome vibrating microtomes have been used and featured in multiple JOVE scientific and educational videos! Here, we want to introduce you to the key JOVE videos showing our tissue slicers in action.

JOVE videos with the Compresstome

Please enjoy the JOVE videos below showing how researchers have used the Compresstome in their experiments. The footage provides a first-hand look at the embedding process as well as seeing the Compresstome make cuts.

Combining Lipophilic dye, in situ Hybridization, Immunohistochemistry, and Histology

Compresstome® slicers are designed for achieving rapid cutting of high-quality free-floating sections for optimal immunohistochemistry. Researchers at the University of Iowa injected lipophilic dye in mouse models for in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, and histology experiments. Agarose embedding stabilizes the tissue during sectioning and diminishes the amount of dye leakage as seen with frozen tissue sectioning. Serial sections of whole brain tissue are obtained using Compresstome VF-700-0Z and allow for visualization of regions of interest.

Genetic Manipulation of the Mouse Developing Hypothalamus through In utero Electroporation

Researchers have used the Compresstome VF-300-0Z in their procedure to section mouse embryo hypothalamus that has been injected with DNA and electroporated. This procedure demonstrates how it is possible to transfect nuclei in the hypothalamus region which are less accessible than those in superficial regions. Following this procedure additional experiments can be performed such as immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.

In Situ MHC-tetramer Staining & Quantitative Analysis of Antigen-specific CD8 T Cells in Tissues

Fresh tissue can vary wildly in its level of difficulty to cut, due to a variety of factors like tissue type, and maturity of the animal (myelination). Often with other vibrating microtomes, they struggle to handle highly myelinated tissue or very soft neonatal tissue. The compression effect, along with multiple points of adjustment (Speed, oscillation, and agarose concentration) enables our instrument to better handle “difficult” to cut tissue. The Compresstome isn’t just able to cut thinner than the competition, we believe that the evidence shows that we also provide higher quality cuts that preserve cell surface structures and help increase the number of healthy to dead cells. Researchers at University of Minnesota use a Compresstome VF-300-0Z to section live tissue in their procedure to locate, quantify, and phenotype antigen-specific CD8 T cells.

A Rapid Approach to High-Resolution Fluorescence Imaging in Semi-Thick Brain Slices

The footage above shows how neuroscientists use the Compresstome VF-300-0Z tissue slicer to obtain brain slices for imaging studies. When using the Compresstome tissue is embedded inside one of the specimen tubes. The specimen tube is made of two pieces: the inner plastic plunger and the outer metal tube. The inner plastic plunger is where you will mount your sample. The plunger is drawn down so much that there is approximately 5cm of length for your tissue sample to be embedded inside the metal tube. Compresstome VF-210-0Z, VF-300, and VF-510-0Z,  all use this embedding procedure. Please visit our website to learn more about our unique tissue slicers.

Preparation of Acute Brain Slices Using an Optimized N-Methyl-D-glucamine Protective Recovery Method

Often heralded as leaders in the field, the Allen Brain institute performs pioneering research on all manner of brain tissue. Working with brain tissue can often be as frustrating as it is rewarding. Slicing brain tissue presents many challenges. The tissue is a combination of soft and fibrous regions. For over a decade, researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science have been using the Compresstome VF-200 vibrating microtome to help give them better brain slices with increased longevity and reduced damage to surface neurons. This enables neuroscientists to have healthy neurons for patch-clamp electrophysiology experiments.

Immunology and Infection: The Compresstome® for Precision-Cut Lung Slices

The Compresstome® has been widely used by researchers worldwide for making Precision-Cut lung slices (PCLS). The Compresstome® uses agarose embedding prior to slicing to allow for the preservation of open alveoli and better tissue compliance. The video above shows Compresstome VF-300 sectioning PCLS for immunostaining to visualize the localization of various immune cell types in the lung. This protocol can be extended to visualize the location and function of many different cell types under a variety of conditions.