GENERAL

Veterinary Pathology services are provided Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. All request for services should be submitted in the forms which are available online or available in the laboratory. Fees for the services will be billed to the concerned principal investigator of the project in which the research animal is maintained. If you have any pathology related questions which require immediate assistance during weekends, please call the veterinarian on call.

ANATOMIC PATHOLOGY

NECROPSY/AUTOPSY

The necropsy facility is located on 18 th Floor. This facility is equipped with a necropsy table and controlled airflow hood for  formalin fixation. The necropsy room and airflow hood is available for investigator use free-of-charge provided the facility is cleaned after use and all animal wastes are properly disposed. Request to use the facility should be made in advance to avoid conflict of scheduling. Scheduling can be done by email: amc18@columbia.edu/ jk2400@columbia.edu /telephone (212-305-1461).

Submission

Please do not submit live animals unless discussed with the pathologist in advance. Upon receipt of an animal carcass and completed necropsy request form, the necropsy room staff enters the information into the laboratory log, performs the necropsy and obtains specimens for microbiological evaluation when needed, histopathologic evaluation, and other pertinent studies. A final report, combining gross and histopathology findings with laboratory test results, is sent to the investigator.  Microscopic interpretation can be influenced by tissue collection and tissue trimming techniques. In order to provide the best results, consult the pathologist in advance if you are conducting necropsy and collecting tissues for research.  Investigators wishing to obtain additional information or perform necropsies should contact the laboratory at 212-3051461. Investigators can also submit tissues in formalin if they perform necropsy.

HISTOLOGY

CPL histology laboratory is located on the 18 th floor adjacent to the necropsy room. It provides a comprehensive range of histological research techniques that include, standard paraffin processing and embedding methods as well as hand processing for larger specimens; special orientation of tissues; serial sectioning etc. In addition to the routine hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E) of paraffin sections, special stains and special processing can be arranged with our collaborating laboratories.

Submission
Tissues should be submitted in 10% Phosphate (or neutral) buffered Formalin. Formalin (10% phosphate-buffered formalin), is the most basic fixative and is available from scientific companies or contact CPL. When submitting tissues, please print and complete the histology form. On this form you can identify any special directions or embedding instructions, type of fixative used, how long tissues have been in fixative, number of slides needed, and any other special instructions you wish to provide to the histotechnician. If you need special processing for electron microscopy or plastic embedding, consult the pathologist in advance. Many histological techniques are sensitive to methods that are used for freezing or fixing the tissues, and results may depend on appropriate specimen preparation; we suggest consulting with a pathologist before collecting specimens. For more information, contact Dr Sebastian at 212-3052444 / email: ms3658@columbia.edu
Our facility is not responsible for samples submitted without proper identification and forms.

Contact
A Rivas, Phone: (212) 305-1461, email: amc18@columbia.edu
J Kaushal, Phone: (212) 305-1461, email: jk2400@columbia.edu