Research Histology and Tissue Imaging Core (RHTIC) Facility
The Department of Pathology and the UIC Research Resources Center jointly manage the RHTIC, a pair of core laboratories created in 2011 that provide histology and imaging services to investigators both within and beyond campus. Emphasizing close cooperation between slide preparation and digital imaging allows the facility to address a wide range of challenges involving single or multiplex stains. The RHTIC covers a comprehensive range of pathology services for animal and human tissue, from tissue processing and slide preparation to multiplex staining and advanced image analysis. This facility performs automated staining using Leica autostainers and a Leica Aperio AT2 for high throughput whole slide scanning. Vectra® microscopy systems (Akoya Biosciences) combine machine learning with multispectral color unmixing, providing the capability of analyzing multiple molecular targets in a single tissue sample. Shown here is a dual immunofluorescence (plus DAPI) stain imaged on the Vectra and ready for quantification of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in eosphageal epithelium. Software for image analysis includes a full suite of HALO® programs (Indica labs) plus Phenochart and phenoptr packages for viewing and analyzing spatial relationships in tissue sections. Peter Gann, MD, ScD and Maria Sverdlov, PhD serve as the Academic Director and Director of the RHTIC, respectively. Consultation from faculty pathologists with specialized expertise is available upon request.