About

The Pathology Research Core occupies nearly 1,400 square feet on the 13th floor of the Stabile Building at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Equipment

• Alpheys Minicore automated tissue microarray instrument
• Bacus Laboratories BLISS imaging system for digital image capture and analysis
• Hamamatsu Nanozoomer automated high-speed digital imaging microscope
• Shandon refrigerated tissue freezing bath
• Paraffin embedding station
• Leica cryostats for cutting frozen sections (four)
• Leica rotary microtomes for cutting paraffin sections (four)
• Arcturus Veritas laser-capture microdissection system
• MiniCore 2 tissue microarray
• Olympus BX50 multiheaded microscope and three other microscopes
• Dako automated immunohistochemical stainers (two)
• Leica Bond automated immunohistochemical stainers (three)
• Slide printer
• Minus 20 degrees Celsius freezers (two) and minus 80 degrees Celsius freezer (one)

History

Known as the Tissue and Cell Molecular Analysis Core until 2012, the Pathology Research Core was originally part of a Mayo Clinic facility for research tissue procurement. Today, it is part of the Medical Genome Facility, a component of the Center for Individualized Medicine.

In 1992, the core began actively collaborating with investigators to provide computerized tracking and pathological descriptions of specimens; histology services, including specialized sectioning of paraffin and frozen tissue blocks; and customized immunohistochemistry.

Over time, the Pathology Research Core expanded its immunohistochemistry repertoire to include phosphorylation state-specific antibodies for analysis of signaling pathways in translational cancer research and multiplex staining through the use of immunofluorescence techniques.

Laser-capture microscopy capabilities were improved with updated instrumentation that permits laser cutting and laser melting. Digital image analysis was further developed, allowing for the convenient review of virtual slides online and across all Mayo Clinic campuses.

In late 2006, the core moved from the Guggenheim Building to the Stabile Building. The four separate areas once occupied in the Guggenheim Building were combined and reorganized in the Stabile Building into two areas, one for processing and another for imaging.

The reorganized space improved work flow and efficiency and enabled the installation of new equipment, increasing the core's service capacities. Additional full-time technicians were hired in the processing area to increase capacity and decrease turnaround times.