Michelle Norman (Laboratory Head), Xiao Hui (Sue) Guo

Level 5, Room 5D209, Flinders Medical Centre

Calcium Booking Calendars - For booking the Cryostat, Embedding Centre, Rotary Microtome, Sledge Microtome and Staining Area.

Calcium Instructions for Histology Lab (PDF 124KB)

The Histology Laboratory is a combined teaching, research and general service laboratory for Anatomy & Histology, as well as the School of Medicine and the wider University.

The Laboratory makes, maintains and updates the normal histology teaching slide collection. These microscope slide sets are central to teaching the normal microscopical appearance of the cells and tissues of the body. As well as the traditional microscope slide collection the Laboratory has been a key participant in the authoring of computer assisted lessons in histology and the development of an extensive electronic image library.

A full range of sectioning techniques for light microscopy can be accommodated, including paraffin and plastic sections, thick frozen sections using sledge microtomes and thin frozen sections using a cryostat. The main strengths of the Laboratory are classical histological techniques, special stains, silver stains and immuno-histochemistry in paraffin sections.Areas of expertise include embryological preparations (slides and whole mounts), neurohistology, large decalcified bone sections, a variety of novel animal preparations, botanical sections and insect and marine science specimens for the School of Biological Sciences.Some recent examples of specific research projects in which the laboratory has made a significant contribution include:

• A comparative study of the staining patterns of classic silver stains and neurofilament immuno-histochemistry in the human cerebellum.
• The immuno-histochemisty of carotid plaque in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients.
• Vascular changes in acute trauma in sheep tibia (decalcified cross section).
• The histology of lizard tick salivary glands (plastic sections).
• The histology of the reproductive organs of sea urchins.
• A comparative study of the morphology of tuna muscle in farmed fish on special feeding regimes

The Laboratory also plays a significant role in the training of research staff in histological techniques and provides ongoing quality control and consultation on appropriate tissue techniques for individual projects.