TMA Grand Master 2.1 – User’s Guide
5 Using TMA Grand Master
5 Using TMA Grand Master
This TMA Grand Master device is designed to create TMA blocks and make it available for you to
place extracted cores into PCR tubes at the same time, within the same process. With the operating
software you may set processes for creating TMA blocks or PCR sampling exclusively or both.
5.1 Creating TMA Blocks with TMA Grand Master
You can place up to sixty donor blocks and up to twelve virgin blocks in the tray (you can design a
separate layout for each of them). However, the drill bit size must be the same for the batch drilling.
You can prepare TMA blocks in batch mode:
•
insert all the 60 donor blocks, mark the punching positions, then leave the device running
OR
•
insert donor blocks into trays continuously (10 blocks per tray) and mark punching positions.
Thus, meanwhile the unit works on the selected blocks, you can place additional blocks and
mark drilling positions on them, so you can work simultaneously with the TMA Grand Master.
You can create up to twelve identical TMA blocks by taking out one tissue core sample, and inserting
it into each recipient block.
Then, you can either create several slides from the TMA blocks, or you can just keep one of the TMA
blocks as a backup.
When you are filling the recipient block from up to sixty donor blocks (maximum number of donor
blocks), the digital camera of
TMA Grand Master
gives you an image of each donor block so you can
aim the puncher accurately. Additional recipient blocks can be inserted into empty slots during a
running process, but their removal is not yet available.
Recipient block-related data can be exported into a spreadsheet file tracking the associations
between the recipient block positions and the ID of the donor block from which the core tissue was
inserted into the recipient block. For more information on data export to spreadsheet files, see
section
5.7 Exporting donor block data
.
5.1.1 Before You Start
Warning!
Do not use paraffin blocks which dimension values are higher than specified (
24mm
(W) x 37mm (H) x 10mm (D)
), otherwise the drilling and punching heads may be
damaged. If the paraffin blocks are larger, mold them again with the base molds
delivered with
TMA Grand Master
.
April 8, 2014 – Rev. 1
3DHISTECH Ltd.
34(79)
