Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Immunocytochemistry and Immunohistochemistry01:22

Immunocytochemistry and Immunohistochemistry

Immunocytochemistry (ICC) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) are techniques that use antibodies to check for specific proteins or antigens in a sample. The technique was first published by Albert Coons in 1941 to detect the presence of pneumococcal antigen in tissue sections from mice infected with Pneumococcus. Immunocytochemistry helps localization of proteins or antigens in individual cells like blood cells, stem cells, etc., while immunohistochemistry does the same for tissue samples.
These...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Molecular testing of lung cancer in Australia: consensus best practice recommendations from the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia in collaboration with the Thoracic Oncology Group of Australasia.

Pathology·2025
Same author

Pre-Vaccination Human Papillomavirus Genotypes and HPV16 Variants among Women Aged 25 Years or Less with Cervical Cancer.

Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)·2023
Same author

Locally extensive angio-invasive Scedosporium prolificans infection following resection for squamous cell lung carcinoma.

Medical mycology case reports·2014
Same author

The changing role of pathology in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Pathobiology : journal of immunopathology, molecular and cellular biology·2011
Same author

Microwaves for chromogenic in situ hybridization.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2011
Same author

Immunohistology--past, present, and future.

Advances in anatomic pathology·2010
Same journal

Tracking Synthetic Adhesins on Bacterial Surfaces with Immunofluorescence Microscopy.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Post-Selection Methods for Analyzing mRNA Display Selections and Optimization of Hits.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

High-Performance Computing in Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS) Peptide Identification.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Engineering and Adapting Disulfide-Containing Proteins to Enable Intracellular Functionality.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

AI-Driven Protein Research: From Prediction to Design.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Methods for the In Vitro Selection of Protein and Peptide Libraries Using mRNA Display.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Standardized Processing for Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Cell Pellet Immunohistochemistry Controls
06:43

Standardized Processing for Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Cell Pellet Immunohistochemistry Controls

Published on: July 27, 2022

Standardization in immunohistology.

Anthony S-Y Leong1, Trishe Y-M Leong

  • 1University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia. aleong@mail.newcastle.edu.au

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|March 4, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Quantitative immunohistology on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (FFPT) faces standardization challenges. Numerous preanalytical and analytical variables hinder reproducible results, making accurate assessment elusive.

More Related Videos

Synthetic Antigen Controls for Immunohistochemistry
09:30

Synthetic Antigen Controls for Immunohistochemistry

Published on: August 23, 2021

Histological-Based Stainings Using Free-Floating Tissue Sections
06:45

Histological-Based Stainings Using Free-Floating Tissue Sections

Published on: August 25, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Standardized Processing for Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Cell Pellet Immunohistochemistry Controls
06:43

Standardized Processing for Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded Cell Pellet Immunohistochemistry Controls

Published on: July 27, 2022

Synthetic Antigen Controls for Immunohistochemistry
09:30

Synthetic Antigen Controls for Immunohistochemistry

Published on: August 23, 2021

Histological-Based Stainings Using Free-Floating Tissue Sections
06:45

Histological-Based Stainings Using Free-Floating Tissue Sections

Published on: August 25, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Pathology
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Laboratory Medicine

Background:

  • Immunohistology is crucial for morphologic diagnosis, especially with advances in antibodies and detection systems for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue (FFPT).
  • Antigen retrieval techniques have improved consistency, enabling reliable diagnostic use of immunohistology.
  • The demand for prognostic/predictive biomarkers and personalized therapy drives the need for quantitative immunohistology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the critical variables impacting quantitative immunoexpression in FFPT.
  • To discuss the challenges in standardizing preanalytical and analytical phases of immunohistology.
  • To explain why accurate and reproducible quantitative assessment of immunostains remains elusive.

Main Methods:

  • Review of preanalytical variables: tissue fixation and pre-laboratory handling.
  • Analysis of analytical variables: antigen retrieval methods, reagents, processing, and detection systems.
  • Examination of interpretative variables: cutoff thresholds and recognition of false results.

Main Results:

  • Tissue fixation is critical but uncontrolled prior to laboratory accessioning.
  • Antigen retrieval, while essential, is empirically applied with unclear mechanisms.
  • Variations in reagents, methodology, and detection systems lead to non-standardized procedures.
  • Lack of standardization in preanalytical and analytical phases prevents meaningful inter-laboratory comparisons.
  • Interpretative differences and failure to identify false results further compromise quantitative accuracy.

Conclusions:

  • The numerous uncontrolled variables in immunohistology prevent reliable quantitative assessment.
  • Standardization of preanalytical and analytical steps is essential for reproducible results.
  • Accurate quantitative immunostain assessment remains elusive due to unstandardized factors affecting antigen preservation in FFPT.