A Practical Approach For Evaluating New Antibodies in the Clinical Immunohistochemistry Laboratory

Paraffin section immunohistochemistry (IHC) is widely used in the diagnostic surgical pathology. Today, it is difficult to imagine the practice of surgical pathology without IHC. The availability of automated immunostainers with reagent rental contracts makes this technology commonplace. One potential danger is that many laboratories are now offering immunostains without significant prior knowledge or experience in immunohistochemistry. As part of its mission, the Cell Markers Committee of the College of American Pathologists offers this manuscript as a basic guide to introducing new antibodies in the clinical immunohistochemistry laboratory. Issues relating to regulatory developments, antibody selection, staining optimization, and test validation are touched upon. (The J Histotechnol 24:275, 2001)Reprinted with permission of Arch Pathol Lab Med 125:289–294, 2001