Tissue Solutions offers a single point of access to an entire range of human biological materials, including diseased and normal human tissues in fresh, frozen, and FFPE formats, and body fluids (e.g. blood, serum, plasma, CSF, ascites, urine, sputum, and synovial fluid). Using our large network of sources we find the tissues you require for drug discovery and development such as genomics, proteomics, biomarker studies, antibody testing, pharmacology and toxicology studies.
Banked human tissues – frozen tissues and formalin preserved paraffin embedded human tissues (FFPE)
We are not a ‘catalogue shop’. Instead, we can find the right tissues for your exact needs. Working with our network of post mortem and surgical excess sources, we supply fully consented frozen and FFPE blocks and can deliver large orders quickly.
Pathology verified tissues are available from a range of disease states (cancer, autoimmune, CNS / neurodegenerative, inflammation, metabolic, cardiovascular, blood disorders and infectious disease). We supply matched tumour and normal adjacent tissue from the same donor and meet your percentage tumour requirements. Surgical samples are typically frozen within 15-30min of resection and are usually supplied as blocks, although slides and TMAs are also available.
We supply the FDA / EMEA panel of normal tissues for cross-reactivity studies.
As we are not restricted by our inventory, we can find what you require. We stand by the quality of our samples and refund or replace unsatisfactory materials.
Fresh human tissues and cells
Tissue Solutions also provides fresh human tissues in a range of cancers for ex vivo and cell-based assays (surgical resections or post mortem). Fresh skin is also available from surgical excess following various cosmetic procedures. In addition, fresh urine and bloods can be delivered upon request from healthy and diseased volunteers.
We supply freshly isolated human primary cells – capillary brain endothelial cells, astrocytes and glial cells, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (P0), keratinocytes (pooled or single donor), fibroblasts, melanocytes, adipocytes, dermal microvascular endothelial cells, skeletal muscle cells, proximal tubular cells, pancreatic islets and hepatocytes (single donor). These can also be supplied in cryovials or flasks.
Bone marrow, umbilical cord, lipoaspirate dental pulp and adult human mesenchymal stem cells are also available, along with CD34 purified cells from umbilical cord blood.
Clinical collaborations for human tissue samples
If the specific samples you are looking for are not available, we can carry out a prospective collection with full ethics approval. We carry out feasibility studies to identify collaborating clinicians or clinical groups willing to collect on your behalf. We determine realistic protocols and associated timescales and provide realistic alternative approaches using different tissues types or experiments when needed.
For prospective collections we prepare the project plan, recruit collaborating clinicians, ensure ethics is in place and secure an agreement with the source.
Tissue processing and analysis services
We offer a range of tissue processing and analysis services through collaborating partners. This includes the more routine services such as DNA and mRNA extraction from both frozen and FFPE blocks plus the more specialist work as outlined below.
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and histology services
As part of our IHC and histology services we offer specialist GLP-accredited provision of IHC and contract histology for expert antibody screening services covering all phases of clinical trials. We can also offer support for your therapeutic antibody development work through cross-reactivity studies in human tissue (FDA panel) and other species (GLP or non-GLP).
Primary cell line establishment and pancreatic islet studies
Working with experienced cell biologists we can establish and culture new primary cell lines derived from fresh human tissue. We also undertake pancreatic islet studies (studies on diabetes or for evaluating new drugs).
Development of non-invasive biomarkers
We can handle the development of non-invasive biomarkers, including sensitive gene expression profiling (qRT-PCR) measuring drug-induced changes in mRNA gene expression from individual hairs plucked from cancer patients undergoing treatment.
