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Chapter 7 - Troubleshooting Immunohistochemistry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2022

By
David Gan
Edited by
Trung Nguyen
Trung Nguyen
Affiliation:
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Australia
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Summary

Immunohistochemistry assays can be technically difficult. There are countless opportunities for errors. Some faults can be fixed, and this chapter contains a precise appraisal of common problems encountered along with suggested solutions. Incorporating both pre-analytic conundrums and analytic challenges from a staining perspective, it is written by a medical scientist able to think outside the square and offer resolutions ranging from the practical to the unconventional. All prescribed advice has been tested and proven successful. Suggesting corrective actions is an exercise in giving the worker options and workarounds for certain situations. Doing more with less and less testing material and lifting sections from slides to be used again when the paraffin block is exhausted are two examples of what can be achieved. Ultimately, it is about tuning protocols to make the most of the precious test tissue given whilst eliminating unnecessary wastage.

Keywords

lifting sectionsartefacttechnical difficultysolutionpracticalconundrumworkaroundprotocol
Type
Chapter
Information
Immunohistochemistry
A Technical Guide to Current Practices
 , pp. 183 - 209
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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