How are Tissue Micro Arrays (TMAs) made? How does multiplex imaging work? And what technologies are available in this field? The first on-site training of the German Biobank Node (GBN) and German Biobank Alliance (GBA) since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic took place on 12 November 2022 on the topic of "TMA-based tissue preparation for multiplex imaging". Six technicians from five GBA biobanks participated in the training at the MTLA School at Heidelberg University Hospital.
Successful mixture of theory and practice
After an introduction by Dr. Alexander Brobeil, head of the tissue bank of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Julia Kühn, a technician of the tissue bank, spoke about creating TMAs. Dr. Felix Hartmann (German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg) and Christina Schniederjohann (Heidelberg University Hospital) provided technical information on multiplex imaging procedures and gave insight into its possibilities – such as the analysis of the microenvironment of tumours as well as the discovery of biomarkers and their validation. In the practical part, the manual and automated creation of TMAs as well as cutting training on the rotation and sled microtome were on the agenda. The participants also learned about multiplex imaging from the practical side. "A great training," said Anne Kuhls, a participant from Dresden. Dr. Carolin Kaufhold-Wedel, deputy head of the NCT tissue bank, was pleased: "The consistently positive feedback from the participants is a great result for us. The close linking of theory and practice was particularly well received."
