Geoffrey Rolls is a Histology Consultant with decades of experience in the field. He is a former Senior Lecturer in histopathology in the Department of Laboratory Medicine, RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia.
"Tissue processing” describes the steps required to take animal or human tissue from fixation to the state where it is completely infiltrated with a suitable histological wax and can be embedded ready for section cutting on the microtome.
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is used in histology to detect the presence of specific protein markers that can assist with accurate tumor classification and diagnosis. This article provides an overview and the basic steps used to create an optimal IHC stain.
Fixation is a critical step in the preparation of histological sections. If it is not carried out under optimal conditions or if fixation is delayed, a tissue specimen can be irreversibly damaged. No matter how much care is subsequently taken in tissue...
