What Design Principles Should I Follow When Creating A TMA?

When designing a Tissue Microarray (TMA), several key principles should be considered to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the process. Here are the main design principles to follow:

1. Visual Design Principles:

   • Scale: Use relative size to signal importance. Limit the use of different sizes to maintain a visually pleasing design.
   • Visual Hierarchy: Guide the viewer's eye through the design elements in order of importance using variations in scale, color, and placement.
   • Balance: Achieve a satisfying arrangement of design elements, whether symmetrical or asymmetrical.
   • Contrast: Use contrasting elements to highlight differences and emphasize distinct features.
   • Gestalt Principles: Organize complex images into simpler forms, focusing on the whole rather than individual elements.

2. TMA Construction Techniques:

   • Consider using custom-built needles for punching tissue cores, which can be more affordable and accessible than commercial TMA builder instruments.
   • Align tissue cores using a computer-generated paper grid and double-sided adhesive tape to ensure precision and minimize core loss.
   • Ensure that the TMA blocks are easy to reproduce, affordable, and quick to construct, with minimal losses during cutting and staining procedures.

3. Practical Considerations:

   • Ensure that the necessary equipment and materials are available and organized before starting the TMA construction.
   • Develop site-specific plans for the location and type of work, considering factors like traffic flow and safety if applicable.
   • Use digital solutions for easier image transfer and collaboration, which can accelerate sample procurement and analysis.

By adhering to these principles, you can create effective and efficient TMAs that are both visually appealing and functionally robust, supporting research and quality control in pathology.