Automatic positioning device for cutting three-dimensional tissue in living or fixed samples. Proof of concept

Abstract

[EN] The study and analysis of tissues has always been an important part of the subject in biology. For this reason, obtaining specimens of tissue has been vital to morphological and functionality research. Historically, the main tools used to obtain slices of tissue have been microtomes and vibratomes. However, they are largely unsatisfactory. This is because it is impossible to obtain a full, three-dimensional structure of a tissue sample with these devices.

This paper presents an automatic positioning device for a three-dimensional cut in living or fixed tissue samples, which can be applied mainly in histology, anatomy, biochemistry and pharmacology. The system consists of a platform on which the tissue samples can be deposited, plus two containers. An electromechanical system with motors and gears gives the platform the ability to change the orientation of a sample. These orientation changes were tested with movement sensors to ensure that accurate changes were made.

This device paves the way for researchers to make cuts in the sample tissue along different planes and in different directions by maximizing the surface of the tract that appears in a slice.