Thermo Fisher Scientific has announced that Histocenter-Scandinavian Center for Histotechnology has selected the Excelsior ES tissue processor for xylene-free tissue processing.
The Excelsior ES processor is claimed to have revolutionised tissue processing at the facility, increasing staff safety and productivity.
Ease of sectioning and quality of IHC staining has been achieved while the processing of reagents has been reduced by 40 per cent.
Histocenter provides high quality contract and consultancy services in the field of morphological cell biology, undertaking all operations within tissue preparation and processing, including fixation, sectioning and staining.
The laboratory decided to purchase the Excelsior ES instrument because of its capability to perform xylene-free tissue processing resulting in faster analysis times and improvements in the quality of stained slides when compared with conventional methods.
Although traditionally used in tissue processing applications, xylene is a particularly toxic and hazardous chemical.
It has been found to have detrimental effects on human health, ranging from toxic hepatitis to pulmonary edema.
By using the Excelsior ES processor, Histocenter has limited the exposure of its staff to the hazardous chemical and enhanced compliance with health and safety regulations.
In addition, the high disposal costs associated with xylene have been removed.
As well as maintaining the integrity of the processed tissue by using only moderate temperatures, the installation of the Excelsior ES processor at Histocenter has allowed for considerable reagent cost savings resulting from the instrument's in-process reagent rotation capability.
In addition, down-draft ventilation and battery back-up power supply result in uninterrupted operation.
The Excelsior ES instrument also enables laboratory staff to verify wax bath levels by simply opening the cabinet doors for direct viewing.
