After collection and fixation, tissues undergo several processing steps:
Dehydration: Gradual removal of water using increasing concentrations of alcohol. Clearing: Replacement of alcohol with a clearing agent, like xylene, to make the tissue transparent. Embedding: Tissues are embedded in paraffin wax to provide support for sectioning. Sectioning: Thin slices of tissue are cut using a microtome and placed on slides. Staining: Tissues are stained with dyes like hematoxylin and eosin to highlight different cellular components.
