Frequently Asked Questions

  • In particular, one of the primary purposes is to protect the health and safety of workers and patients from situations where related regulations are impossible to follow due to the working environment.

    For example, outpatient nurses or pathologists cannot wear a NIOSH gas mask while handling formaldehyde, but the regulation requires them to wear it. Since regulations are created based on the entire industry group, it isn’t easy to follow them in a particular working environment like hospitals and labs.

  • FIXUP Solution™ is an alcohol-based alternative fixative solution. The main substances include alcohol, distilled water, and small amounts of potassium chloride, glyoxal, and acetic acid.

  • No, FIXUP Solution™ is a biopsy-specific tissue fixative solution used the same way as 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin.

  • Yes, it requires a protocol change. When any type of reagent is changed, a protocol reset work is needed. This can be solved quickly and accurately through our Staining Evaluation Program.

  • Yes, it's available. Unlike other products, tissues fixed to FIXUP Solution™ show a much more stable quality of Ki-67 IHC Staining results.

  • Yes, FIXUP Solution™ is compatible with 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin without any contamination.

  • Yes and No, We assume that FIXUP Solution™ can be used for all types of specimens; however, it is specifically designed for biopsy specimens. A further laboratory test may be needed for bigger tissues or organs.

  • It can be treated the same as other alcohol products. However, waste regulations may vary by state, and it should be disposed of in compliance with local disposal regulations. If you let us know the area you want to use, we can determine your disposal regulations.

FIXUP Solution™

XUP™

  • XUP™ is a xylene-free clearing reagent designed to replace xylene in tissue processing and staining workflows. It eliminates xylene exposure for laboratory staff while maintaining equivalent clearing performance.

  • XUP™ is a petroleum-based hydrocarbon solvent. It is miscible with xylene and compatible with standard laboratory solvent recycler systems commonly used for xylene recovery.

  • Yes. Compatibility testing has been completed with the following systems: Leica HistoCore PELORIS, Sakura Tissue-Tek VIP, and Dakewe HP300. If your processor uses reagent density sensors (e.g., Leica PELORIS), change the reagent setting from xylene to another solvent type to ensure correct level readings.

  • No. We recommend starting with the same processing time as your current xylene protocol. For biopsy samples, the clearing step can typically be reduced to around 30 minutes if needed. Residual xylene in the processor will not cause issues, as XUP™ is fully miscible with xylene.

  • Tissues processed with XUP™ can be mounted using either xylene-based or xylene-free mounting media. We recommend using XUP Mount™ for a fully xylene-free workflow, but other xylene-free mounting media are also compatible — such as Neo-Mount™ (manufactured by Merck).

  • For H&E staining and coverslipping systems using film-based mounting, the final slide holding chamber should remain filled with xylene, as XUP™ does not dissolve film resin quickly enough. The same applies to systems like the Leica Spectra. However, for the Tissue-Tek Glas G2 Automated Glass Coverslipper, both XUP™ and XUP™ Mount can be used without issue.

  • Yes. XUP™ is compatible with standard solvent recycler systems commonly used for xylene. Recyclability is not an issue in routine laboratory solvent recovery workflows.