The Dosaka NeoLinearSlicer® and MicroSlicer® facilitate cutting of sections of soft tissues like brain, liver or similar difficult-to-section material. These vibratory tissue slicers are well known for their quality and superior performance, enjoying an excellent reputation in the neuroscience research community.
The Dosaka MicroSlicer® has a unique design for the vibratory motion of the cutting blade. To generate the shuttling blade motion in the MicroSlicer®, a smooth motorized system was adopted that is less prone to vertical vibration, compared to the traditional electromagnetic vibrating system. Traditional electromagnetic systems are limited to a set constant vibration frequency of the blade. In contrast, the MicroSlicer® allows adjustment to the shuttling frequency of the blade depending on the properties of the specimen. Thus, the MicroSlicer® can cut thinner sections more easily and efficiently.
The Dosaka NeoLinearSlicer® line of vibratory slicers builds upon the innovations of the previous generation of MicroSlicer® instruments with a linear motor system, redesigned chassis, and built-in vibration dampening base. The body is steel plate rather than plastic, diminishing vibrations caused by the resonance of the material. Taken together, these features enhance the cutting performance of these instruments to produce even thinner sections of fresh tissues. The NeoLinearSlicer® units additionally feature an upgraded operating system with an updated panel design. This modernization helps to further improve usability, with the added capability of automatic sectioning, while maintaining Dosaka’s distinct simple and clear interface.
Objective of the MicroSlicer® and NeoLinearSlicer®
The Dosaka MicroSlicer® and NeoLinearSlicer® are instruments designed to cut sections of animal or plant tissues, fresh or fixed, without freezing them.
In various fields of neuroscience, histochemistry, and cytochemistry, experiments are often conducted using fresh tissue slices or sections that are incubated in a media. Large tissue blocks and thick sections often end up with non-specific deposits of reaction products and areas of no reaction in the center of the specimen. This is due to poor penetration of the reaction media into the tissue. For this reason, thinner sections are preferred to perform histochemical and cytochemical reactions.
The simplest method to cut tissue sections is to cut frozen in a cryostat. However, it is well known that both cellular fine structure and enzyme activity suffer greatly from freezing and thawing. Non-frozen sections are therefore preferred for histochemistry and cytochemistry. In recent years, many types of fresh brain sections (200 to 500 micrometers in thickness) have been used in neurophysiological and pharmacological research. In addition, tissue sections are used in a variety of studies in the field of botany.
Traditionally, non-frozen tissue sections have been cut by hand with a razor blade or by using microtomes or tissue choppers. However, these methods have various drawbacks, such as the irregular thickness of tissue sections, difficulty of obtaining thin sections, or extremely slow sectioning speed. Such limitations are not the case when utilizing a MicroSlicer® or NeoLinearSlicer® for preparing non-frozen tissue sections.
Fresh tissue slices of the brain are also often used in the slice-patch method, blind-patch method, slice-culture method, etc. The success of these experiments depends on the quality of tissue slices, including how thin slices are cut and how well the tissue structure is preserved. With many tissue slicers, it is difficult to obtain high quality tissue slices due to abnormal blade vibration and significant loss of performance after long-term use. The MicroSlicer® and NeoLinearSlicer® allow any user to prepare quality tissue slices/sections easily and efficiently with minimal damage to tissues and cells.
Dosaka MicroSlicer® and NeoLinearSlicer® models:
- MicroSlicer® DTK-1000N – the basic model for manual operation
- MicroSlicer® Zero 1N – reduced Z-axis movement of the head for superior cutting quality, retraction function, manual operation but includes motorized specimen movement
- NEW NeoLinearSlicer® MT – improved linear motor system and built-in vibration dampening base for minimal Z-axis vibration and highest cutting performance, retraction function, manual operation but includes motorized specimen movement
- NEW NeoLinearSlicer® AT – improved linear motor system and built-in vibration dampening base for minimal Z-axis vibration and highest cutting performance, retraction function, automatic operation for continuous sectioning
The Dosaka MicroSlicer® vibratory tissue slicer systems feature a fixed cutting amplitude and an adjustable frequency. Even the entry level model, DTK-1000N, comes equipped with an auto-reverse mechanism and detachable bath. In addition to that, the Zero 1N has a stepping motor for vertical movement of the specimen, as well as a retraction function. The Zero 1N model features the MicroSlicer® Zero-Z technology with a redesigned cutting head for dramatically reduced Z-axis vibration. The layout of the switches on both sides of the tray allows for easy operation and reduced spillage on the controls.
The Dosaka NeoLinearSlicer® vibratory tissue slicer systems feature fully adjustable cutting amplitude, frequency, and speed; as well as a linear motor system, steel chassis, and built-in vibration dampening base for the highest level of cutting performance. Additionally, the system includes a stepping motor for vertical movement of the specimen, as well as a retraction function. The blade holder, ice bath, and specimen tray are all fully detachable. The NeoLinearSlicer® units additionally feature an upgraded operating system with an updated panel design. This modernization helps to further improve usability, with the added capability of automatic sectioning on the AT model, while maintaining Dosaka’s distinct simple and clear interface.
Applications: Neuroscience Research, Physiology, Immunocytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pathology, Immunofluorescence, Histology, Cytology, Botany