Vibratomes(TM)are not for frozen tissue.  

A cryostat can cut thick sections, you will have to manually click the
advance several time.  Use a thin blade, let the tissue warm up from
liquid nitrogen temperatures to about -18C before trying to cut.  Use a
cryostat that lets you adjust the specimen orientation and keep the
blade colder than the tissue.  You can see such a device at the
following link:

http://www.myneurolab.com/mnl/mnlsite/ViewProduct.asp?idproduct=475104&c
atdesc=Histology+Equipment&subcatdesc=Cryostats&idsubcategory=182

Cordially,

Charles W.  Scouten, Ph.D.
myNeuroLab.com
5918 Evergreen Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63134
Ph: 314 522 0300  
FAX  314 522 0277
cwscouten@myneurolab.com
www.myneurolab.com


-----Original Message-----
From: kbrand [mailto:brand@gen.fgg.eur.nl] 
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2002 7:10 AM
To: HistoNet Server
Subject: 500um - 1000um frozen sections

HistoNetters,

Our experiments we wish to do on mouse brain requires cutting sections
of 500um thickness, or greater, frozen.

Ideally, the mouse brain would be removed from the brain case, embedded
in OCT (oriented for coronal sectioning), and immediately snap frozen in
liquid N2- followed by sectioning at around 500um or more.

Is there an instrument available which can perform this, perhaps a
'cryovibratome'? And if so, is this instrument available in The
Netherlands/Belgium or anywhere nearby?

The tissue will be analysed by DNA microarray, so freezing is a must,
but the thicker the sections (up to 1000um), the better.

Karl

-- 
[g'day Dr T.]
Karl Brand 
Department of Cell Biology and Genetics
Erasmus University
Dr. Molewaterplein 50
3015 GE Rotterdam
ph +31/10 408 7457 fax +31/10 408 9468