DEVICES USEFUL FOR TISSUE SAMPLE MANIPULATION
Disclosed herein, inter alia, are devices and methods for efficient transfer and analyses of cellular material, tissue samples, such as tissue sections.
1 . A carrier device, comprising:
a base comprising a planar body that defines an aperture;
a handle connected to the base;
a mold frame defining a cavity configured to form a polymeric support within the cavity; and
a lid removably coupled to the mold frame.
2 . The carrier device of claim 1 , wherein the mold frame is removably seated in or on the base.
3 . The carrier device of claim 2 , wherein the base forms an aperture and wherein the mold frame can be seated into the aperture.
4 . The carrier device of claim 2 , wherein the base has at least one clip or tab that releasably secures the mold frame to the base.
5 . The carrier device of claim 1 , further comprising a substrate removably positioned on a bottom region of the mold frame wherein the substrate forms a surface.
6 . The carrier device of claim 5 , wherein the substrate comprises a polyester (PE) film, polypropylene (PP) film, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film, or a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film.
7 . The carrier device of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric support is a hydrogel.
8 . The carrier device of claim 7 , wherein the hydrogel comprises agarose, gelatin, polyacrylamide, or combinations thereof.
9 . The carrier device of claim 7 , wherein the hydrogel has a compression or Young's modulus between about 5 kPa and about 2.5 MPa.
10 . The carrier device of claim 1 , further comprising a tissue section attached to a surface of the polymeric support.
11 . The carrier device of claim 10 , wherein the tissue section is a fixed-formalin paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue section.
12 . The carrier device of claim 10 , wherein the tissue section is a fresh-frozen tissue section.
13 . The carrier device of claim 1 , wherein the lid comprises a polyester (PE) film, polypropylene (PP) film, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film, or a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film.
14 . The carrier device of claim 1 , wherein a peripheral recess is defined between the mold frame and the base and is configured to collect liquid during capture of a tissue section.
15 . A method of immobilizing a tissue section to a polymeric support, said method comprising:
contacting a mold cast with a polymer precursor and solidifying the polymer precursor to form a polymeric support within the mold cast;
contacting a vessel comprising a tissue section with the mold cast, wherein said vessel comprises water and wherein said tissue section is at or on the surface of the water; and
removing the mold cast from the vessel, wherein the tissue section is immobilized to a surface of the polymeric support.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the vessel comprises an aqueous bath at about 37° C. to about 50° C. and the tissue section is FFPE.
17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the polymeric support comprises agarose, gelatin, polyacrylamide, or combinations thereof.
18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising excising a portion of the polymeric support comprising the tissue section and depositing the portion onto a glass solid support.
19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising removing the portion of the polymeric support and contacting the tissue section with a labeled probe.
20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising detecting the labeled probe.