Hi,
    Most companies that sell immunochemicals test their reagents on formalin
fixed paraffin embedded or frozen tissues only. Deviating from these standards
can have unexpected results. Some tests do not stain at all with some
alternative fixatives. Also, with the recent push to get some tests FDA
approved. There is a drive to standardize handling of tissues. The current
standard (like it or not) is 10% formaldehyde.
Amos Brooks

Andrea Perez wrote:

> Hello everyone!  I work at a Veterinary Diagnostic Lab for the University of
> Arizona, and we are interested in any information that you can give us about
> non-formalin based fixatives.  We receive tissues from outside veterinarians
> and clinics, and using the mailing system with formalin gets a bit
> complicated.  Does it work as well as formalin?  Does it cause any problems
> with the dehydration process?  Can it interfere with any special stains?
> Any information anyone can give me would be great.  Thanks for your time!
>
> Andrea M. Perez
> Histotechnologist
> University of Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Lab
> Tucson, Arizona
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