Microtome and method for producing thin sections from a sample by means of a microtome

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11060955-B2
Application number	US-201816770982-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2018
Priority date	Dec 12, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A microtome for producing thin sections from a sample includes a sample holder configured to receive the sample and a cutting edge configured to cut the sample, the cutting edge having a specified cutting direction, the cutting direction and the cutting edge spanning a cutting plane. The microtome further includes a movement device configured to produce a relative movement between the sample holder and the cutting unit for cutting the sample in the cutting direction, a feed device configured to produce a relative movement between the sample holder and the cutting edge for cutting the sample in a feed direction at an angle not equal to 0° to the cutting plane, and a liquid volume with a liquid abutting the cutting edge on a side of the cutting edge facing away from the sample holder.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microtome for producing thin sections from a sample, comprising:
a) a sample holder configured to receive the sample,
b) a cutting edge configured to cut the sample, the cutting edge having a specified cutting direction, the cutting direction and the cutting edge spanning a cutting plane,
c) a movement device configured to produce a relative movement between the sample holder and the cutting unit for cutting the sample in the cutting direction,
d) a feed device configured to produce a relative movement between the sample holder and the cutting edge for cutting the sample in a feed direction at an angle not equal to 0° to the cutting plane,
e) a liquid volume with a liquid abutting the cutting edge on a side of the cutting edge facing away from the sample holder, and
f) a channel arranged laterally on the side of the cutting edge facing away from the sample holder and configured to move toward and/or away from the cutting edge at least via a back and forth movement, wherein the channel is open toward the cutting edge as an open channel end and is configured to be filled with the liquid and/or a further liquid.

2. The microtome according to claim 1 , wherein a substrate forms a channel bottom of the channel.

3. The microtome according to claim 2 , wherein the open channel end is arranged over an edge of the substrate.

4. The microtome according to claim 2 , wherein the substrate is adapted for light and/or electron microscopy and is formed by a slide or a glass or silicon wafer coated with an electrically conductive material or a mesh or grid.

5. The microtome according to claim 4 , wherein the slide is a slide made of an electrically conductive material or a material that is transparent to light and/or electrons.

6. The microtome according to claim 2 , wherein a plurality of channels are arranged next to one another on the substrate.

7. The microtome according to claim 2 , wherein the channel above the substrate away from the cutting edge is bounded on the substrate by mechanical side walls or by a structured surface functionalization of the substrate.

8. The microtome according to claim 1 , wherein means are provided for suctioning and/or introducing at least one of the liquids into/out of the channel.

9. The microtome according to claim 8 , wherein the means comprise open-pored regions in the channel.

10. The microtome according to claim 1 , wherein a device is provided for discharging separable liquid droplets from above onto the liquid or thin sections on the liquid above the cutting edge and/or the channel.

11. The microtome according to claim 1 , wherein the back and forth movement comprises lateral and/or straight-line shearing movements between the channel opening and the cutting edge.

12. A method for producing thin sections from a sample by a microtome, the method comprising:
a) providing the microtome, the microtome including a sample holder for the sample, a cutting edge configured to cut the sample, and a liquid volume with a liquid surface abutting the cutting edge,
b) clamping the sample into the sample holder,
c) moving a channel to the liquid volume and to the cutting edge,
d) starting from an initial position, initiating a relative movement between the sample in the sample holder and the cutting edge in a cutting direction, wherein the sample is guided to the cutting edge,
e) cutting through the sample by the cutting edge, wherein a thin section is peeled off the sample by one cut, with a cut surface being formed on a remaining part of the sample,
f) receiving the thin section on the liquid surface of the liquid volume, and
g) transporting the thin section on the liquid surface into the channel.

13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
h) retracting the sample to the initial position,
i) feeding the sample holder with the sample in the feed direction into a further initial position, and
j) repeating steps d) to i),
wherein
k) the peeled-off thin sections are arranged serially on the liquid surface above the liquid volume and transported into the channel.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein at least one isolated drop of a liquid is applied between two thin sections arranged serially on the surface above the liquid volume, whereby the two thin sections move away from one another.

15. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
l) starting from an initial position, initiating a relative movement between the sample in the sample holder and the cutting edge in the cutting direction, wherein the sample is guided to the cutting edge,
m) cutting by the cutting edge between 2 and 1000 μm into the sample,
n) reversing the relative movement by moving the sample upward, and
o) moving the sample further upward from the cutting edge into the initial position.

16. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising at least one of:
p) suctioning, draining or evaporating the liquid volume from the cutting edge,
q) removing the channel from the cutting edge, and/or
r) suctioning, draining or evaporating the liquid from the channel.

Assignees

• Karlsruher Inst Technologie
• Univ Heidelberg

Inventors

• Spomer Waldemar
• Gengenbach Ulrich
• Hoffmann Julian
• Hofmann Andreas
• Ness Leonard J
• Brey Warren J P
• Schroeder Rasmus
• Wacker-Schroeder Irene

Classifications

• G01N2001/185

  Conveyor of containers successively filled · CPC title

• G01N2001/065

  Drive details · CPC title

• G01N1/06 Primary

  providing a thin slice, e.g. microtome · CPC title