Our consultations provide an opportunity for meaningful collaboration, where we discuss your project in detail, answer your questions, and design a tailored plan for processing your samples.

After your consultation, we’ll send an estimate for your approval. Once confirmed, we’ll guide you on how to prepare your samples for optimal results and schedule a convenient drop-off appointment. To ensure the best service we can only accept samples by appointment.

Our goal is to support your research every step of the way. From project planning to providing necessary fixatives and buffers for sample preparation, we take care of the details so you can focus on your work. Once we receive your samples, we handle everything else, delivering high-quality TEM images at your requested magnifications when your project is complete.

Please note that your samples should come with completed forms and a signed estimate. 

To help you achieve the best possible results, please follow these guidelines for optimal tissue preparation:

Size:

• Trim your tissues to 1mm cubes before fixation to maximize the quality of imaging.
• Remove any non-essential attached tissues or organs, submitting only the parts that are significant to your research. For larger specimens, providing a biopsy is sufficient.

Fixation:

• Use 3% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M Sorensen’s buffer to fix all tissues or cells.
• Contact the histology lab in advance to arrange pick-up of fresh fixative before cell harvest or animal sacrifice. We’re here to coordinate with you and support your timelines.
• For brain or nerve tissues, we can supply a specialized combination of paraformaldehyde and glutaraldehyde to enhance preservation.
• When working with animal samples, perfusion fixation is essential to maintain the integrity of fine structures.

Minimum fixation time:

• Cells: 2 to 3 hours.
• Tissue: 3 to 4 hours.

To ensure thorough fixation, make sure your tissue samples are fully immersed and freely floating in a volume of fixative that is at least 10 times the volume of the tissue itself.

Our imaging facility is equipped with two state-of-the-art transmission electron microscopes (TEMs), providing researchers with the capability to observe subcellular changes. TEM techniques are invaluable for gaining deeper insights into how treatments, experimental conditions, or genetic modifications impact your samples, among many other factors.

We offer a variety of imaging and analysis tools to meet the diverse needs of your research, including:

• JEOL JEM-1400 Flash
• Leica ARTOS 3D
• Leica EM Trim 2
• Leica UC7
• Phillips CM10
• Reichert OmU3

Additionally, for a more quantitative analysis of experimental changes, we can incorporate machine learning techniques into the evaluation process, providing precise and reliable results.

The pricing provided below applies to UM and affiliated researchers. For industry-specific pricing, please contact us.

Our consultation process allows us to tailor our services to your specific research needs. 

We utilize a wide range of advanced staining techniques, enabling us to provide detailed visual insights into protein abundance, distribution, and localization. These techniques, which include common histological stains as well as specialized methods, offer the precision required to highlight specific cellular and tissue components. 

Through immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and other advanced assays, we help you identify and analyze key biomarkers, ensuring that you gain a comprehensive understanding of your samples at both the structural and functional levels. 

Whether you're exploring cellular dynamics, disease mechanisms, or developmental processes, our team is equipped to support your project with state-of-the-art staining methods and expert guidance.

We offer standard paraffin embedding preparation, a widely used and reliable technique for tissue preservation and sectioning. 

This method involves embedding your samples in paraffin wax, allowing for long-term storage and optimal preservation of cellular architecture. 

The process includes tissue fixation, dehydration, clearing, and embedding in molten paraffin, followed by sectioning into thin slices for histological examination. This approach is ideal for a wide range of tissue types and provides excellent preservation of morphological detail, making it suitable for routine histopathological analysis. 

Additionally, our facility supports advanced staining techniques for further examination of tissue structure, protein localization, and other molecular characteristics, enabling a thorough investigation of your samples.

The pricing shown here is for UM and affiliated investigators. For industry pricing, please contact us.

For optimal results, proper preparation of your tissues is crucial. Adhering to these guidelines ensures the best possible outcomes for your frozen tissue samples:

Size

• Gross the samples to a reasonable size before fixation or snap freezing.
• Smaller pieces provide better fixation and are easier to section.
• Tissue thickness should not exceed 5mm, and the length/width should be a maximum of 1.5cm.
• Focus on the relevant tissue for your research; remove any unnecessary attached tissue or organs. For larger specimens, provide a biopsy instead.

Fixation

• Fix all tissues in an appropriate fixative based on your intended use.
• Be aware that certain fixatives may interfere with staining or immunohistochemistry protocols.
• Common fixatives include 10% buffered formalin or 4% formaldehyde (prepared from commercially purchased 37% stock liquid or powder).
• After 24 hours of fixation, wash tissues thoroughly in 1x phosphate-buffered saline three times for five minutes each.

Cryoprotection with Sucrose Infusion

• Prepare a 20% sucrose solution in 1x phosphate-buffered saline and transfer the tissue into it. Keep the tissue in this solution at 4°C until it sinks (usually overnight).
• Prepare a 30% sucrose solution in 1x phosphate-buffered saline and transfer the tissue from the 20% solution. Allow it to sink in the 30% sucrose solution at 4°C (usually overnight).

Infiltration

• Transfer the tissue from the 30% sucrose solution into pure optimal cutting temperature compound or the desired embedding medium for up to 24 hours at 4°C.

Freezing

• Freeze blocks quickly and correctly to avoid freezing artifacts. Slow freezing results in poor morphology.
• For unfixed tissues, snap freeze in isopentane/liquid nitrogen within optimal cutting temperature compound and deliver frozen to the histology lab.
• Ensure that blocks are frozen properly without cracks, and tissue orientation is accurate. Incorrect preparation can lead to freeze artifacts.

By following these guidelines, you will ensure your tissues are optimally prepared for histological analysis and imaging, yielding the best results for your research.

The pricing shown here applies to University of Manitoba (UM) and affiliated researchers. For industry pricing or additional information, please contact us.

Our histology services offer a variety of stains to enhance tissue analysis. Below is a list of available stains, each designed to highlight specific structures and components within your samples.

Available stains include:

• Alcian Blue
• Alcian Blue & Periodic Acid Schiff
• Hematoxylin & Eosin
• Masson Trichrome
• Nissl and Cresyl Violet
• Nuclear Fast Red
• Oil Red O
• Picrosirius Red
• Prussian Blue
• Periodic Acid Schiff
• Safranin O
• Toluidine Blue
• Verhoeff van Gieson

Once your samples are fixed, you have the following options:

1. Delivery to the histology laboratory

   Bring fixed samples directly to the laboratory for further processing.

2. Short-term storage

   Store samples in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at 4°C if short-term storage is required. Alternatively, store samples in 70% ethanol at room temperature for a limited time.

If submitting cryo samples, ensure they are already blocked and frozen in cryo molds with optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound or another preferred medium. Make sure the samples are properly frozen to preserve structure and avoid thawing during transport.

When submitting your samples, please remember to bring a slide box of sufficient size for the requested slides. If you don't have one, it will be added to your invoice.

Important: Please contact the histology staff in advance to arrange a time for sample drop-off, ensuring staff availability to accept your samples.

Please note that your samples should come with completed forms and a signed estimate. 

Training is mandatory for all users. To request training please contact us. We will then arrange a time for training sessions. The length of training is dependent on the user’s previous experience.

It is up to Imaging Facility staff and the department head/platform director to decide whether the user has demonstrated adequate understanding of the instrument to be granted unsupervised access.

Upon completion of training, users must pass a standard practical comprehension test to be granted full privileges including swipe card access.

New users
All new users must contact histology staff to arrange necessary training and initiate fee payments when applicable. This ensures safe and appropriate use of the equipment.

Booking time on instruments
To keep equipment accessible for all, follow these guidelines for booking time:

• Booking is managed using calendars located next to each piece of equipment.
• Users are responsible for honouring the time they book.
• Billing will be calculated based on booked time and logbook records.
• Users who do not cancel unused time will be billed.
• Failure to honour booked times may result in loss of instrument privileges.
• Bookings are void if users do not arrive within 30 minutes of the booked time, and the equipment becomes available for other users.

Facility use
Maintaining a clean and safe environment is essential. Follow these rules when using the facility:

• Users must follow the startup and shutdown procedures for each instrument.
• Gloves are not permitted on any instruments or computers.
• All users are required to fill in the logbook for each instrument during every use—no exceptions.
• Instruments must be left in pristine condition after use.
• Ensure everything is turned off, covered, oil lenses are cleaned, and any rubbish discarded.

Data storage and file transfer
To protect user data, adhere to these data storage guidelines:

• Data should be stored directly on the R: drive designated for each lab when possible.
• Data may be temporarily stored on the hard drives of instruments in the D: drive.
• The facility is not responsible for data stored on these hard drives; leaving data here is at the user’s own risk.
• Data left indefinitely will be deleted without warning.
• USB flash drives are not permitted unless newly purchased from the histology lab. If a new USB, CD, or DVD is required, please see histology staff.
• Users are responsible for their own data.

Problems
Immediate reporting of problems ensures a smooth operation for all users. Please notify histology staff of any issues, including supply depletion (oil, lens paper, cleaning solution), software issues, burnt-out bulbs or filaments, or other equipment-related concerns.

After hours / weekends
If problems arise after hours, on weekends, or on holidays, follow these steps: shut down the equipment, place a sign indicating it should not be used, and contact histology staff at histology_services@umanitoba.ca. For emergencies, call 555 for security or 911.

Our imaging and analysis facility provides a variety of equipment tailored to meet diverse research needs, including:

• Analysis Station
• Teloview Computer
• Zeiss Imager A2
• Zeiss ELRYA PS.1
• Zeiss Imager M2
• Zeiss Imager M2 Scan
• Zeiss Observer D1
• Zeiss Observer 7
• Zeiss Imager Z1
• Zeiss Imager Z2

The imaging facility operates on a cost-recovery basis, with all fees contributing to the regular maintenance, repair, and necessary upgrades of the equipment.

UM community rates:

• $50/hour for self-imaged sessions
• $75/hour for staff-assisted imaging

External users rates:

• $75/hour for self-imaged sessions
• $100/hour for staff-assisted imaging

Training rates:

• $75/hour for UM community
• $100/hour for external users

For Department of Human Anatomy and Cell Science research groups requiring more than 30 hours of imaging, an annual fee of $1,500 may apply for unlimited access.

Note: The ELYRA PS.1 system must be operated by facility staff. It is billed at $75/hour for UM community members and $120/hour for external users.