Histology Facility

Faye Docherty - manager of the Histology Facility.

Introduction

Histology is the microscopic study of tissues and cells with its techniques producing visual images that are a true blend of art and science.

Located on Level 2 in the East Wing of the Medical Building, the Histology Facility is staffed by Faye Docherty, Laura Leone and Lisa Foster, all qualified histologists available to assist you with any enquiries.

The Histology Facility.

Coverslipping area.

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History

The Histology Laboratory has a long history of providing technical services which have been an integral part of the Department's commitment to excellence in teaching and research.

In 2003 major renovations took place resulting in a purpose built, state of the art Histology Facility.

top of page An amalgamation between the Histology laboratories of the Departments of Anatomy & Cell Biology and Pathology in 2007 has formed a Facility dedicated to the provision of superior diagnostic and research histological services to Departmental and external sources.  Our commitment to teaching remains an important priority.

As a NATA-accredited laboratory (Accreditation # 3196) the Facility provides a diagnostic service as an extension to the State Neuropathology Service.  It also provides services to the National Neural Tissue Resource Centre and Australian National CJD Registry.

Services

Within the Histology Facility, equipment is available to produce high quality microscopic sections of frozen and paraffin embedded material. Induction and equipment training sessions are held by histology staff to train staff, honours and post graduate students in histological techniques. Bookings can then be made to use our equipment and facilities. Contact Faye for the date of the next scheduled session.

These services are available to all Departmental staff and students, and to external Departments and Institutions on a user pays system. Professional services, sectioning and staining etc. can be provided by our highly qualified staff by prior arrangement, subject to the availability of resources.  The laboratory conducts various types of fixed-tissues tests (over 20 staining techniques and 17 immunohistochemistry tests) in accordance with established protocols. Please refer to our price list and complete the “Request for Services” sheet to assist us with the assessment of your project.

We also have limited facilities for the processing and cutting of tissue for transmission electron microscopy which is available for the use of Departmental staff and students. For all other Electron Microscopy enquires please contact the School of Botany or the Electron Microscopy Unit in the Department of Pathology.

Cutting sections on a paraffin microtome.

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Price List

Pricing Information:

• Download a Request for Histology Services or Training form.
• Histological services by prior arrangement only and subject to availability of resources.
• General fee for usage of Histology Facility is $10.00 per hour (excluding equipment usage).
• GST will be applied to all non-Melbourne University users.
• Members of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences receive a 10% discount.
• All equipment MUST be pre-booked.
• All users must be trained by Histology Staff prior to using equipment.

Embedding tissue samples in paraffin.

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Contact Details

To discuss how histology can benefit your research or for technical advice please contact us:

Phone: 8344 5752
Fax: 9347 5219
Email: Faye Docherty (available 8-5pm Mon to Fri)
Email: Laura Leone (available Mon to Fri)
Email: Lisa Foster (Mon and Wed)

Processing and embedding area.