Short report

Enhanced molecular analyses by combination of the HOPE-technique and laser microdissection

Torsten Goldmann¹ , Renate Burgemeister² , Ulrich Sauer² , Siegfried Loeschke¹ , Dagmar Silvia Lang¹ , Detlev Branscheid³ , Peter Zabel⁴ and Ekkehard Vollmer¹

¹  Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Research Center Borstel, Germany

²  P.A.L.M. Microlaser Technologies, Bernried, Germany

³  Department of Thoracic Surgery, Krankenhaus Großhansdorf, Germany

⁴  Medical Clinic, Research Center Borstel, Borstel, Germany

author email corresponding author email

Diagnostic Pathology 2006, 1:2doi:10.1186/1746-1596-1-2

Published:	31 March 2006

Abstract

As part of an investigation aimed at illuminating the possibilities and limits of the HOPE-fixation and paraffin-embedding technique we here describe a novel procedure which was developed in order to combine the benefits of the HOPE-technique with the capabilities of laser microdissection. The presented procedure avoids the need for amplification of template-RNA thus facilitating reliable and reproducible results. The excellent preservation of nucleic acids, proteins, and morphology in HOPE-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues enhances the molecular applications available to date with materials acquired by laser microdissection when compared to formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues, thus substantially extending the methodological panel in tissue based research.