Abstract: The current disclosure provides compositions and methods for treating and/or debriding damaged or dying tissue resulting from a range of injuries and conditions without requiring surgical personnel or facilities. The compositions can be utilized in the field close to where the injury occurred. The compositions include a covalently bonded and immobilized protease enzyme included in a medium that can have a variety of forms and further include a range of additives to further effect the safe and effective removal of dead or damaged tissue. The compositions can be transported and utilized in the field without refrigeration and without any special handling.

Abstract: The present application discloses immobilized enzymes and immobilized enzyme materials comprising a crosslinked enzyme having a support material which includes a biomass material different than the biomass used to initially derive the enzyme. Optionally, the immobilized enzyme further includes a polymeric material and/or the biomass which was used to initially derive the enzyme. The resulting immobilized enzyme materials may be biodegradable. The present application also discloses methods of making and using the disclosed immobilized enzyme materials.

Abstract: A sectionable cassette for use in a process for harvesting and handling tissue samples for biopsy analysis is disclosed. In the procedure, a tissue biopsy sample is placed on a tissue trapping and supporting material that can withstand tissue preparation procedures and which can be cut with a microtome. The tissue is immobilized on the material and the material and the tissue are held in the cassette and are subjected to a process for replacing tissue fluids with wax, and then the tissue and the supporting material are sliced for mounting on slides using a microtome. Harvesting devices and containers using the filter material are disclosed. An automated process is also disclosed. One embodiment has the tissue trapping and supporting material porous and another embodiment includes a tissue supporting material that is not easily microtomed.

Abstract: A sectional cassette (10) for use in a process for harvesting and handling tissue samples for biopsy analysis is disclosed. In the procedure, a tissue biopsy sample is placed on a tissue trapping supporting material (A?) that can withstand tissue preparation procedures, and which can be cut with a microtome. The tissue is immobilized on the material, and the material and the tissue are held in the cassette (10) subjected to a process for replacing tissue fluids with wax. The tissue and supporting material are sliced for mounting on slides using a microtome. Harvesting devices and containers (200) using the filter material (202) are disclosed. An automated process is also disclosed.

Abstract: An automated machine for handling and embedding tissue samples contained on microtome sectionable supports. The machine includes an input member configured to hold a plurality of the microtome sectionable supports prior to a tissue embedding operation. An output member is configured to hold a plurality of the microtome sectionable supports after the tissue embedding operation. A cooling unit is configured to hold at least one of the microtome sectionable supports during the tissue embedding operation. A motorized carrier assembly is mounted for movement and configured to hold at least one of the microtome sectionable supports. The carrier assembly moves the support from the input member to the cooling unit and, finally, to the output member. A dispensing device dispenses an embedding material onto the microtome sectionable support and at least one tissue sample carried by the microtome sectionable support during the embedding operation.