Paraffin, frozen, and resin histology. Special stains and advanced techniques available as detailed below. Have a question or need help with a new project? Contact us for a complimentary consultation. All requests for Core services and equipment scheduling are available through iLabs.
If you are a new user and need to register, please click the button below. Then select “REGISTER” in the upper right corner of the page.
Fee Schedule
*Members of the MRC Research Base receive 33% discount on all fees.
For users outside of Washington University, please contact us for fees.
Price increase as of July 1, 2025 – Prices in the Histology and Morphometry Core have not changed since 2021. Unfortunately, both supplies and personnel costs have risen in the last 4 years and necessitate a 15% increase to keep our core solvent. JIT funds, particularly for new projects/investigators, may be available through the MRC.
Surcharges & Discounts
| Blocks | (per block) |
|---|---|
| Paraffin Processing | $11.50 |
| Paraffin Processing + decal by core | $27.60 |
| Plastic embedding | $50.60 |
| Slides | (per slide) |
|---|---|
| Paraffin section | $2.47 |
| Plastic section | $14.09 |
| micro/orientation fee | |
| H & E stain | $9.03 |
| Special stains (view list) | $13.97 |
| Deplast.+coverslip | $5.69 |
| Frozen Sections | |
|---|---|
| Frozen section | $5.43 |
| Non-decal section of bone | $18.08 |
| Frozen section on film | $18.08 |
| Coverslip w/o prior stain | $1.81 |
| Hourly Fees | |
|---|---|
| Cryostat Use | $15.00 |
| Technician Time | $55.00 |
| Confocal | $15.00 |
| BioQuant | $20.00 |
| Supplies | |
|---|---|
| large slide box (100) | $7.59 |
| small slide box (25) | $4.75 |
| Microtome blades (ea) | $2.07 |
| Slides (box of 100) | $28.46 |
| EDTA Decalcification Solution | Please contact the core 1 WEEK in advance when requesting EDTA 1 Liter free per calendar month per lab if samples are for core submission $34.50/Liter beyond the first free bottle/lab/month $34.50/Liter if you are not submitting samples to the core |
| Surcharges & Discounts | |
|---|---|
| Priority service fee requires prior PI approval | 50% |
| Core Member discount | 33% |
Estimated Time Schedule for Services
| Paraffin processing/sectioning/staining | |
|---|---|
| <= 20 blocks, no special requests | 1-2 weeks |
| <= 20 blocks, microscope for orientation or leveling through (50+ slides per block) | 2-4 weeks |
| > 20 blocks, no special requests | 2-4 weeks |
| > 20 blocks, microscope for orientation or leveling through (50+ slides per block) | 4-8 weeks |
| MMA (plastic) processing/sectioning/staining | |
|---|---|
| <= 20 blocks | 4-8 weeks |
| > 20 blocks | 8-12 weeks |
| Cryostat sectioning | |
|---|---|
| Routine | 2-4 weeks |
| For LCM | Can be scheduled |
| Priority (Rush) work Not available for MMA processing | Less than 5 work days, needs PI approval, with 50% surcharge |
Special Stains
(If you do not see your preferred stain, let us know. We accept special requests.)
- Alcian Blue
- Alcian Blue Hematoxylin Orange G
- Alizarin Red
- Bone Canaliculi Silver Stain
- Geimsa
- Goldner’s Trichrome
- Gomori’s & Masson Trichrome
- Gram Stain
- Oil Red O
- Pentachrome
- Periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)
- Perl’s Iron
- Picosirius Red/Alcian Blue
- PTAH (Phosphotungstic Acid Hematoxylin)
- Reticulin
- Safranin O (may NOT decalcify with EDTA as this leads to removal of the proteoglycans; must use Formic acid/Immunocal/CalEx)
- Toluidine Blue
- TRAP (Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase; must use neutral EDTA decalcification)
- Verhoff van-Giesen (VVG)
- Von Kossa
- Weigert’s Resorcin Fushsin
Advanced Processing Methods
- RNA Scope
- CODEX Multiplexed Immunofluorescence
- Spatial Transcriptomatic RNA analysis