NSH VIR Teleconference: Resin Histology: A Practical Approach for Demonstrating Undemineralized Bone

Presented by Jack Ratliff, BioMimetic Therapeutics Inc.

As musculoskeletal research progresses with new technological advancements in the areas of biological repair and replacement, histological evaluation continues to play a crucial role in the determination of safety and efficacy for these new treatments. While most will employ traditional and acceptable methods of decalcification and paraffin embedding for the demonstration of these critical components of evaluation, these techniques can sometimes be very challenging and/or impossible when presented with a variety of implant materials or devices. For example, to evaluate safety and efficacy of a metallic device coated with a biological therapeutic at the bone interface, one will need to forego traditional methods of decalcification and seek an undisturbed representation of the specimen by utilizing an embedding media that is both as hard as the specimen and the implant material. Additionally, it may also be important to use a media that will not distort or dissolve the coating. This seminar will address the use of resin histology techniques for the demonstration of undemineralized bone. Topics will include tissue preparation, fixation, processing, infiltration, and embedding/polymerization with acrylic resins. We will also discuss two types of microtomy as related to small and large undemineralized bone specimens and the presence or absence of implant materials.

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