The Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change

is a research museum of the Leibniz Association

Histology lab

What is histology?

Histology is the science of tissues. Specimens are fixed with special chemicals, dehydrated and embedded in resin or wax. The resulting block is sectioned into thin slices of few µm thickness with sharp metal, glass or diamond knives. After being transferred to specimen, they get.  Depending on the specific research question, different chemicals stain specific tissues types. Finally the colored slices are studied via light microscopy or get digitalized. The digital images can be elastically aligned to bring them in the right position and to reduce artefacts such as compressions. Afterwards they can serve as a base for 3-dimensional reconstructions.

 

Which equipment is available at ZFMK?  

The ZFMK houses a fully equipped histology lab. Currently Technovit 7100 is used as primary embedding material.

 

What is histology used for at ZFMK?

Histology is a central component of morphological work at the ZFMK. In contrast to computed tomography (CT) histology allows a clear tissue distinction and staining. Additionally histological sections allow a much higher spatial resolution than CT scans, which for example allows to study tissues on the cell level.

Contact person

Laboratory Manager Morpholab
Technical Assitant
+49 228 9122-346
+49 228 9122-212
j.vehof [at] leibniz-zfmk.de