1. Outline of the process of TMA assembly
Outline of the process of TMA assembly. In the TMA technique, a hollow needle is used to remove tissue cores as small as 0.6 mm in diameter from regions of interest in paraffin-embedded tissues, such as clinical biopsies or tumor samples. These tissue cores are then inserted in a recipient paraffin block in a precisely spaced, array pattern, usually along with control samples. Sections from this block are cut using a microtome, mounted on a microscope slide and then analyzed by any method of standard histological analysis. Each microarray block can be cut into 100 to 500 sections, which can be subjected to independent tests. The number of spots on a single slide varies, depending on the array design, the current comfortable maximum with the 0.6-mm needle being about 600 spots per standard glass microscope slide. New technologies are under development that may allow as many as 2000 or more sections per slide. (Adapted from
Source: Methods of Molecular Analysis, The Basic Science of Oncology, 5e
Citation: Tannock IF, Hill RP, Bristow RG, Harrington L. The Basic Science of Oncology, 5e; 2016 Available at: Accessed: November 07, 2017
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