Question: What are best practices for assembling and handling the Visium Slide Cassette?
Answer: The Visium Slide Cassette creates leakproof wells for reagent application and removal directly to the tissue placed within capture areas. For the Visium Slide Cassette to perform as expected, the Visium Slide Cassette and Gasket must be assembled correctly.
Assembly of the Visium slide into the Slide Cassette can be done using the Slide Alignment Tool found in the Visium Accessory Kit or performed manually; whichever method is easiest for assembling the Visium Slide inside the Slide Cassette. Instructions for both methods are included in the Visium Spatial Tissue Optimization and Gene Expression User Guides. How-To Videos demonstrating how to place the slide in the Slide Cassette with the aid of the Slide Alignment tool and without are also available. Please see below GIF demonstrations.
Manual Assembly
Assembly Using Slide Alignment Tool
We recommend the following guidelines when using the Visium Slide Cassette:
- Before using the cassette, disassemble the Gasket and re-assemble it to ensure it is "seated" properly.
- If re-assembling after Immunofluorescence staining, ensure that the Cassette Gasket is dry before assembly. A wet Cassette or Gasket impacts the ability to generate a tight seal and may lead to leakage
- Press down between tabs 3 and 4 and simultaneously pull the clip upwards to ensure it is secure.
- After assembling the Cassette, turn it over to make sure the Gasket is sitting properly and slide is secure under tabs.
- Screw on the thermal cycler lid until you feel resistance and then stop.
- Screwing on the thermal cycler lid too tightly or pressing down too hard can break the Gasket seal and cause the slide to shift or break.
- When placing and removing the Slide Cassette from the thermal cycler, do so without depressing the clip.
- Ensure that the Slide Cassette is flush with the Thermocycler Adaptor.
See these other related knowledge base articles:
- Which thermal cyclers are compatible with the Visium for fresh-frozen assay?
- Which thermal cyclers are compatible with the Visium for FFPE assay?
- I'm using the Thermo Fisher Scientific Veriti© 96-Well Thermal Cycler (Cat No. 4375786) to run Visium, how should I set up the thermal cycler to maximize success?
Products: Visium for fresh-frozen, Visium for FFPE