Maria,

The best way is to use the LN2 / isopentane method.  CO2 slush could be 
used but it really is not optimal.  I'd suggest transporting the biopsy 
to your lab on saline dampened gauze on wet ice (water ice).  Be careful 
not to soak it in saline and under no circumstances should it be 
floating in saline.

regards,
Robert Schoonhoven


maria.doyle@ucd.ie wrote:

>Dear all,
>
>I am new to this work and if somebody could help me with this 
>problem I would be very grateful. 
>We are going to obtain skeletal muscle samples from surgery 
>which we want to use for immunohistochemistry and in situ 
>hybridization. We wanted to mount the muscle sample on cork in 
>OCT and freeze it in isopentane/ liquid nitrogen there at the 
>hospital. However there is no facility for getting liquid nitrogen at 
>the hospital and transporting it there would be difficult. My question 
>is would it be possible to freeze the muscle sample on dry ice, 
>transport it back to the lab and then freeze in isopentane/liquid 
>nitrogen? Could this sample still be used for immunohistochemistry 
>and in situ hybridization?
>
>Thanks to anyone that can help!
>
>Maria Doyle
>PhD Candidate
>University College Dublin,
>Ireland
>
>  
>