The Histology Laboratory
The USC School of Pharmacy Histology Laboratory, located on the fourth floor of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Center, is ready to help you with your histology and pathology research. This school-wide core laboratory is open to any USC researcher and has everything you will need to make microscope slides from tissue samples. Tissues can be paraffin embedded, sectioned and stained in the laboratory. Sectioning can involve making microtome, vibratome and cryostat thin slices. You can also make color photographs of your microscopic images for publication. Expert advice is available concerning staining techniques and the interpretation of microscopic images.
Resources
The Histology Laboratory houses the following instruments and accessories:
Microm Spin Tissue Processor STP 120
Components/Accessories:
- Main Unit
- Individual Tissue Carriers
Capacity:The tissue processor automatically dehydrates and paraffin infiltrates tissue samples.
Microm Tissue Embedding Center EC 350
Components/Accessories:
- Main Unit
- Cooling Unit
Capacity: At this station, paraffin infiltrated tissues are embedded in wax and mounted on cassettes.
Microm Rotary Microtome
Components/Accessories:
- Main Unit
- Disposable Blades
- Water Bath
Capacity: The microtome cuts thin sections of paraffin embedded tissue cassettes with a disposable blade. The blade can be quickly replaced as necessary. The water bath is used to float the thin sections onto microscope slides.
Vibratome
Components/Accessories:
- Main Unit
- Disposable Blades
- Water Bath
- Light
Capacity: The vibratome is used to cut sections of formaldehyde fixed soft tissues, such as brain. Sections are mounted onto microscope slides.
Microm Cryostat HM 525
Capacity: Frozen tissue samples are thin sectioned with the cryostat. Tissues do not need to be fixed. Frozen sections are directly mounted onto microscope slides.
CryoJane
Components/Accessories:
- Main unit mounted on and inside cryostat
Capacity: Bone samples and other tissues that are difficult to mount as frozen sections are processed with the CryoJane. The unit provides a permanent adhesive mounting onto slides.
Thermo Shandon Hyperclean Station
Components/Accessories:
- Main Unit
- Air Filtration Unit
Capacity: Slide mounted specimens can be cover slipped and preserved in mounting medium at this station that provides -air filtration to remove fumes. Small batches of slide mounted specimens can be stained at this station.
Zeiss Axioskop Microscope
Components/Accessories:
- Microscope
- Camera
- Computer
Capacity: Microscope slides are examined and photographed at this station. Photomicrographs are saved onto CDs for permanent storage and publication.
| Instruments | Charge/slide | Charge/year w/unlimited access | |
|---|---|---|---|
| School of Pharmacy | All | $10 | $3,000 |
| Other USC Users | All | $10 | $3,000 |
Special rates:
Investigators who intend to process many tissue samples and produce many microscope slides are encouraged to talk to Professor Adams about bulk rates. Investigators who pay the bulk rate can be trained to process tissues and will be given access to the lab and its resources.
Scheduling
Dr. He coordinates the lab schedule. Her contact information is below.
Lab Policies
Dr. He is in charge of the daily use of the lab. She trains and directs students and investigators who use the lab. She also schedules weekend use of the lab by experienced investigators. Professor Adams supervises the lab and coordinates chargebacks.
Contact Us
Lab location
PSC 402A
Health Sciences Campus
USC School of Pharmacy
1985 Zonal Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90033
James Adams, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
USC School of Pharmacy, PSC 716
(323) 442-1362
jadams@usc.edu
For technical training, scheduling and assistance with applications, please contact:
Lina He, MD
Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences
USC School of Pharmacy, PSC 402B
323-442-2157
linahe@usc.edu
Research highlights
The outcomes research team—including the health economics and policy group, the clinical pharmacy group and the regulatory science group—emphasizes innovations in treatment models and the development of better policies to make sure that care is more accessible and affordable.
The School unites an interdisciplinary team of pharmacologists, toxicologists and pharmaceutical and regulatory scientists to explore new directions in identifying, designing and targeting new therapeutic advances. Complementing this are researchers working in the clinical arena and in health economics and policy. Centers and institutes, based at the School and throughout the University, offer a structure for collaborative pursuits.
A grant from Quintiles is helping the School build upon its leadership role in both health economic policy and regulatory science to promote more effective and efficient health care delivery and to make medical products faster, safer and better.
USC has the 5th fastest super computer cluster in the U.S., and Nouri Neamati is using it to advance his cancer and HIV/AIDS research.
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Two-thirds of those afflicted with Alzheimer’s are women, and Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, has found a key link between brain health at menopause and the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease onset 20 years later.
How do we meet the rising demand for psychiatric services among the homeless population?
With well over 50,000 people living on the streets in Los Angeles County, a collaboration between psychiatric pharmacists and primary care physicians at a skid-row, safety-net clinic provides a model of care that helps bridge the gap in providing comprehensive heath care that includes quality psychiatric services.
