Skip to main content

Science of H&E

Andrew Lisowski M.S., HTL (ASCP)

Download this training resource to learn more about routine staining with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and the steps involved with the staining process.

Why Do We Stain?

In order to deliver a medical diagnosis, tissues must be examined under a microscope. Once a tissue specimen has been processed by a histology lab and transferred onto a glass slide, it needs to be appropriately stained for microscopic evaluation. This is because unstained tissue lacks contrast: when viewed under the microscope, everything appears in uniform dull grey color.

Image
Unstained Tissue H&E Stained Tissue

What Does "Staining" Do?

  • Contrasts different cells
  • Highlights particular features of interest
  • Illustrates different cell structures
  • Detects infiltrations or deposits in the tissue
  • Detects pathogens
Image
There are different staining techniques to reveal different structures of the cell
There are different staining techniques to reveal different structures of the cell

About the presenter

Andrew Lisowski , M.S., HTL (ASCP)

Andrew Lisowski has almost 30 years of experience in histology and histotechnology. He attended veterinary school and earned his master’s degree in molecular biology. Andrew worked in histology, IHC and ISH labs, cell culture lab, performed in-vitro and in-vivo toxicology assays and was a member of a necropsy team. He worked for pharmaceutical companies, medical school and founded his own molecular and histology firms.

Leica Biosystems Knowledge Pathway content is subject to the Leica Biosystems website terms of use, available at: Legal Notice. The content, including webinars, training presentations and related materials is intended to provide general information regarding particular subjects of interest to health care professionals and is not intended to be, and should not be construed as, medical, regulatory or legal advice. The views and opinions expressed in any third-party content reflect the personal views and opinions of the speaker(s)/author(s) and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views or opinions of Leica Biosystems, its employees or agents. Any links contained in the content which provides access to third party resources or content is provided for convenience only.

For the use of any product, the applicable product documentation, including information guides, inserts and operation manuals should be consulted.

Copyright © 2024 Leica Biosystems division of Leica Microsystems, Inc. and its Leica Biosystems affiliates. All rights reserved. LEICA and the Leica Logo are registered trademarks of Leica Microsystems IR GmbH.