Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 20, 2026
Automated Dissection Protocol for Tumor Enrichment in Low Tumor Content Tissues
Published on: March 29, 2021
Microdissection techniques for molecular testing in surgical pathology
Jennifer L Hunt1, Sydney D Finkelstein
1Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pa 15213, USA. huntjl@upmc.edu
Objective:
To describe the techniques for microdissection of paraffin-embedded and frozen tissue sections for the use in molecular applications.
Data Sources:
Original research papers and review papers and the authors' personal experiences.
Data Synthesis:
Manual and laser-capture microdissection are described in detail, with specific protocols for sample preparation and instructions for performing the microdissection. A section addressing frequently asked questions is also included.
Conclusions:
Microdissection is a technique that is very useful both in the research setting and for clinical molecular testing in paraffin-embedded tissue samples. The available techniques range from simple and inexpensive (manual microdissection) to complex and expensive (laser-capture microdissection). All of the techniques, however, require the user to be familiar with microscopy and histology.
