Andrea, 

We receive various frozen tissues from researchers in the same manner as you.  
We use square plastic base molds and put the tissue in the base mold and 
surround with OCT (the end result will resemble a paraffin block).  We then 
freeze it in the cryostat at -20 C, or more recently we have been freezing it 
in liquid nitrogen.  We then put the chuck on top of the base mold with a 
little more OCT and let that freeze in the cryostat.  With a little pressure on 
the base mold, the tissue and surrounding OCT connected to the chuck will come 
right out. You are now ready for sectioning.  I find sectioning tissue frozen 
in base molds easier to section than tissue placed only on a chuck and 
surrounded with OCT. 

Bob Meyer, HTL 
Northwestern University 
> 
> I have some labs who bring me hunks of frozen skeletal muscle for frozen 
> sectioning. They clamp the muscle and snap freeze it and then store it in a 
> microcentrifuge tube at minus 80 until needed. When I get the muscle I have 
> to attach it to the cryostat chuck with OCT without thawing any of the 
tissue. 
> What I have had to do is make a base of OCT and just as it is about to 
> freeze over I stick only a tip of the tissue into it. However when 
> sectioning I'm cutting only the tissue with no supporting medium around it 
> and this ain't easy! 
> If any other labs are doing this and would want to share how they are going 
> about it I'd be really grateful!!! 
> Thanks! 
> Andi Grantham 
> ...................................................................... 
> : Andrea Grantham, HT(ASCP)     Dept. of Cell Biology & Anatomy     : 
> : Sr. Research Specialist       University of Arizona               : 
> : (office:  AHSC 4212)          P.O. Box 245044                     : 
> : (voice:  520-626-4415)        Tucson, AZ  85724-5044    USA       : 
> : (FAX:  520-626-2097)          (email:  algranth@u.arizona.edu)       : 
> :...................................................................: 
>            http://www.cba.arizona.edu/histology-lab.html 
> 
> 
>