We are seeing whether  sapphire blades  would be an improvement over steel
blades for cutting frozen sections.

 Sapphire blades have been widely used for cutting very thin sections for
the electron microscope. It is also used in the vibratome for cutting fresh
brain.

It is a very hard material and should cut smooth sections of all types of
tissue. We are looking at the lifetime of the edge. It might be that a good
edge could last for months before resharpening.

 We are working together with Joe Tabeling at DDK, who has a lot of
experience with sapphire blades.

We welcome your comments? Also do come to see at NSH

Bernice
schiller@instrumedics.com