Jul 21 2007
Leica Microsystems has launched two new vibrating blade microtomes for sectioning of fixed and unfixed fresh tissue for neuropathology and neurophysiology applications.
The development has been performed in close collaboration with Prof. Dr. Peter Jonas and his team at the Institute of Physiology, University of Freiburg, Germany. The Leica VT1200 and VT1200 S feature a new blade holder design which minimizes vertical deflection of the blade thus protecting delicate specimens, such as brain, spinal cord and other mammalian tissues from mechanical damage. The result is a greater number of viable cells on the section surface, due to minimal vibrations in the vertical axis while high-frequency movements of the cutting blade in a horizontal axis can be achieved.
The semi-automated Leica VT1200 has been designed for users who prefer to manually control sectioning parameters such as section thickness and cutting stroke for each individual section. The Leica VT1200 vibrating blade microtome offers straightforward, intuitive operation, fast sectioning and a full range of accessories at an attractive price.
The fully automated Leica VT1200 S is recommended for multi-user laboratories. Semi-automated and fully automated working modes can be accomplished with the same instrument. The fully automated mode of the Leica VT1200 S offers automatic feeding, specimen retraction, and a cutting window. The Leica VT1200 S stores individual operational parameter settings for up to eight users.
http://www.leica-microsystems.com/