What is histology?
Histology is the science of tissue. Animals are fixed (preserved using chemicals), dehydrated and embedded in synthetic resin or wax. Using a microtome and very fine carbide, glass or diamond knives, sections a few micrometres thick are cut from this block, applied to microscope slides and then stained. Depending on the staining method, different types of tissue are specifically stained, which allows contrasting to be matched to the respective problem. These sections are then analysed using light microscopy. They can also be digitised and thus used as a basis for 3-dimensional reconstructions. For this purpose, the sections are brought into the correct position using elastic alignment and artefacts such as compression are reduced.
What equipment is available at the LIB?
The LIB has a fully equipped histology laboratory with various microtomes and microscopes for digitising sections. Technovit 7100 is mainly used as embedding media.
What is histology used for at the LIB?
Histology is a central component of morphological work at the LIB. In contrast to computer tomography, histology allows clear tissue differentiation and staining. In addition, histological sections can achieve far higher resolutions than CT data, which allows tissue to be examined at cell level, for example.
