First of all, the tissues MUST be the size requested or
larger. If they are smaller, points are taken off, and
no one wants that to happen. So don't use mouse tissue
unless it meets the size requirements (e.g. cross-section
of a fallopian tube (or oviduct)).

To obtain the correct size tissue:

- Contact several hospitals in the area, and ask for their help.

- Contact other research labs in the area that work with larger
animals, and ask for help.

- Contact a veterinary clinic that does surgery in the area,
and ask for help.

- Contact a slaughter house, and ask for help.

- There is, at last resort, road kill. (Don't laugh, it's
been done before, in times of desperation. One of my
former students is know as the "Opossum Lady" around
here, as she did a "necropsy" on the side of the
road with an exacto knife and a plastic bag, just to
get an esophagus for her registry.) Try early Saturday
or Sunday morning, just after dawn. The bars will have
closed only a few hours earlier. So the road kill will
be still warm. (Sorry to be gross this early in the 
morning.)

As for the antibody:

- contact a hospital in the area, and see if they are
willing to let you go to their hospital and run a slide
with their antibody. You may have to take a day off
from work. Do it at THEIR convenience, since they are
helping YOU.

- Contact an immuno sales rep in the area, and see if they
have any Pan-Keratin that is out-dated (after the expiration
date.) If they know you are going to use it ONLY for the
registry, SOMETIMES, some of the reps have been known to
give the antibody to candidates. Sometimes it is against
company policy. Can't hurt to ask.

- Buy a kit. Pan-Keratin is one of the cheaper antibodies.

Good luck!

Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, MI 48073

"CHEN, YUETIAN" wrote:
> 
>      Dear HistoNet friends:
>      I am taking HTL practical exam.  Since I am working in research area
>      all the tissues I have are from mice.  According to the requirement of
>      exam, they are too small.  I am just wondering how everybodys get
>      their tissues for HT exam?  I also just need some
>      antibody(Pan-Keratin) to run just couple of slides.  Is there any
>      place I can ask to get this antibody instead of buying it?
>      Thanks for the help.
>      Yuetian