A simple and economical method for the manual construction of well-aligned tissue arrays

Tissue array technology has allowed a substantial progression of studies correlating molecular and immunohistochemical findings with clinico-pathological information. Array construction presents technical difficulties and tissue arrayers are expensive, particularly for small and medium sized laboratories. We describe a simple manual method for producing well-aligned tissue arrays using a hand-made paper mold which can successfully perform immunohistochemical staining. All 200 tissue samples were collected and constructed into blocks by the paper mold. The tissue arrays were smoothly sectioned using a standard microtome and performed for a panel of immunohistochemical study with satisfactory results. This alterative method for building custom arrays could be applied in any laboratory and is both simple and economical.