title: SpOT the Correct Tissue Every Time in Multi-tissue Blocks.
abstract: Multi-tissue paraffin blocks provide high throughput analysis with increased efficiency, experimental uniformity, and reduced time and cost. Tissue microarrays make up the majority of multi-tissue paraffin blocks, but increasingly, researchers are using non-arrayed blocks containing larger tissues from multiple individuals which can provide many of the advantages of tissue microarrays without substantial investment in planning and equipment. A critical component of any multi-tissue analysis is the orientation method used to identify each individual tissue. Although methods exist to maintain proper orientation and identification of tissues in multi-tissue blocks, most are not well-suited to non-arrayed blocks, may consume valuable space within an array and/or are difficult to produce in the standard histology laboratory. The Specimen Orientation Tag (SpOT) is a simple, low cost orientation tool that is clearly visible in paraffin blocks and all tissue sections for reliable specimen identification in arrayed and non-arrayed layouts. The SpOT provides advantages over existing orientation methods for non-arrayed blocks as it does not require any direct modification to the tissue and allows for flexibility in the arrangement of tissue pieces.
authors.affiliation: Center for Advanced Preclinical Research (CAPR), Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research; Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coffey
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Georgetown University.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Georgetown University; dlb82@georgetown.edu.
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Berry
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D016612:Paraffin Embedding / Q000379:methods*; D046888:Tissue Array Analysis / Q000379:methods