Instructions for Cryoprotecting Biopsy Samples

Biopsy samples should remain refrigerated in fixative solution no longer than 24 hours. They must then be rinsed with buffer solution and placed in cryoprotectant solution as follows:

• Gently decant the fixative solution from the specimen tubes.
  • The biopsy should remain in the tube
  • In the event the biopsy tissue is poured out, the sample should be gently picked up with forceps and placed back into the tube.
• The tissue plug is then briefly washed with the phosphate buffer provided in your kit.
  • Fill the tube containing the biopsy with the phosphate buffer solution and, after a few seconds, decant the buffer solution off. The biopsy should remain in the tube.
  • Repeat rinse procedure one more time.
• Next, fill the tube completely with the cryoprotectant solution.
   
• Screw the cap on tightly taking care the sample is not caught between the tube and the cap.
   
• Place a strip of parafilm over the cap.
   
• Once in cryoprotectant, the biopsy should be kept refrigerated at 4 degrees C overnight. If shipping biopsy samples within 2 weeks, samples may be kept in the refrigerator. Samples MUST be refrigerated overnight in cryoprotectant before they are ever frozen for extended storage. If you will be batch-shipping samples at a later date, store them in a -20 degree C freezer. When ready to ship, use the refrigerated shipper provided to your site.
  • Please record the time the biopsy was placed in cryoprotectant on the requisition form.

Watch the video of the biopsy.