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Fixation and Sectioning

Fixation and Sectioning

Two basic types of preparation are used to visualize specimens with a light microscope: wet mounts and fixed specimens.
The simplest type of preparation is the wet mount, in which the specimen is placed in a drop of liquid on the slide. A liquid specimen can be directly deposited on the slide using a dropper. Solid specimens, such as skin scraping, can be placed on the slide before adding a drop of liquid to prepare the wet mount. Sometimes the liquid is simply water, but stains are often added...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 4, 2026

Protocol for HER2 FISH Using a Non-cross-linking, Formalin-free Tissue Fixative to Combine Advantages of Cryo-preservation and Formalin Fixation

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Molecular fixative enables expression microarray analysis of microdissected clinical cervical specimens.

Gerald Li¹, Dirk van Niekerk², Dianne Miller³

¹Integrative Oncology Department, BC Cancer Research Centre, 675 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Experimental and Molecular Pathology

|January 14, 2014

Summary

Molecular fixative offers a superior alternative to formalin for cervical tissue analysis. It preserves both tissue structure for diagnosis and biomolecules for molecular testing, enhancing pathology workflows.

Keywords:

Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia Gene expression microarray analysis Immunohistochemistry Microdissection Molecular fixative

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Area of Science:

Pathology
Molecular Biology
Histology

Background:

Formalin fixation alters biomolecules in tissues, limiting molecular analysis.
Frozen tissues preserve biomolecules but compromise morphology for diagnosis.
Molecular fixatives aim to preserve both morphology and biomolecules.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess molecular fixative's utility for cervical tissue diagnosis and molecular analysis.
To compare molecular fixative with formalin for histopathology and biomolecule preservation.

Main Methods:

Ten cervical tissue specimens were divided and fixed in formalin or molecular fixative.
Histopathological evaluation of morphology and immunohistochemical staining (p16, Ki-67) were performed.
RNA extracted from molecular fixative samples was analyzed using expression microarray.

Main Results:

Molecular fixative preserved cervical tissue morphology adequately for diagnosis.
Immunohistochemical staining for p16 and Ki-67 showed comparable or stronger results with molecular fixative.
Expression microarray analysis indicated sufficient RNA quality from molecular fixative samples (as little as 50ng).

Conclusions:

Molecular fixative is a versatile substitute for formalin in cervical pathology.
It enables simultaneous histopathological diagnosis and molecular analyses (IHC, gene expression).
This dual preservation capability enhances diagnostic and research potential for cervical tissues.