Please refer to the kit label.

The set is applicable to all common animal samples.

For applying 1 cm × 1 cm Chip T, the tissue size should be no more than 0.9 cm x 0.9 cm x 2 cm  and appropriate cryomold or stainless- steel based mold should be chosen based on tissue size. To avoid RNA degradation, tissue embedding should be finished within 30 min after tissue harvest. Excess liquid on the tissue should be removed to avoid ice formation during embedding. Air bubbles should be avoided when filling the OCT in the Cryomold or stainless-steel.

The distortion of tissue could be caused by the following:  

(1) tissue compression during tissue harvest;

(2) excess OCT during freezing; 

(3) stiff embedding molds causing OCT fail to expand and squeeze the tissue in mould. 

In this case, it is recommended to adjust embedding techniques and tools for tissue integrity. 

Excess liquid on the tissue should be removed before freezing. Rapid freezing is recommended to avoid ice crystals in the tissue since slow freezing may be more likely to produce large ice crystals.

Tissue may be squeezed when submerged in excess OCT, especially for small tissues. Therefore, it is recommended to choose an appropriate cryomold or stainless-steel based mold based on your sample size. 

Yes, excessive OCT will affect the result of RNA extraction.

It is strongly recommended to perform tissue embedding within 30 minutes after tissue harvest to avoid tissue RNA degradation to the greatest extent.

We have tested that transferring tissue from -80℃ freezer to cryostat up to 4 times will not affect the mean gene counts in mouse brain tissue.

In addition to differences in tissue types, hole formation in the tissue may often result from the following reasons: 

(1) Ice crystal formation due to slow or ineffective freezing; 

(2) Air bubble introduced in freezing the tissue with OCT; 

(3) Improper histology brushes was used that can damage fragile tissues.