Staining automation

Aaan blue -as blood cell stain [AUTOMATED INSTRUMENTATION - HEMATOLOGY] (Vol 3)... 

Detecting the presence of small, even invisible, amounts of blood is routine. Physical characteristics of dried stains give minimal information, however, as dried blood can take on many hues. Many of the chemical tests for the presence of blood rely on the catalytic peroxidase activity of heme (56,57). Minute quantities of blood catalyze oxidation reactions between colorless materials, eg, phenolphthalein, luco malachite green, luminol, etc, to colored or luminescent ones. The oxidant is typically hydrogen peroxide or sodium perborate (see Automated instrumentation,hematology). 

In essence, an automated IHC Stainer is nothing more than a robot that mirrors the steps that a skilled technician would follow when performing an IHC stain on a slide. However, it is important to point out that automation will not make a stain work that cannot be made to work by manual methods.13... 

OPEN VERSUS CLOSED IHC AUTOMATED STAINING INSTRUMENTS... 

During the tissue fixation process, proteins are cross-linked, causing some epitopes to become undetectable by the staining protocols.10 HIAR reverses this effect, allowing these epitopes to be stained, and therefore has become increasingly important for many IHC staining protocols.19-22 However, the available automated IHC platforms vary in their ability to perform online HIAR. 

For systems that do not offer online HIAR, these procedures must be performed manually or off-line prior to loading slides on the instrument. Online HIAR methods are usually found as part of the closed-type automated staining systems, and are therefore less flexible in terms of what a technician can do to change the HIAR portion of a staining protocol to help optimize staining for particularly difficult antibodies. In spite of this, the ability to perform online HIAR is advantageous for many antibodies because it is extremely consistent and frees up technician time to complete other laboratory tasks. 

Another aspect to consider is that performance of HIAR within an automated staining instrument can add considerably to laboratory cost compared to performing manual HIAR off-line with devices such as pressure cookers, vegetable steamers, or microwave ovens.19 In addition, off-line HIAR methods... 

In general, online versus off-line HIAR offers similar pros and cons as does the open versus the closed automated staining systems. Closed systems and online HIAR not only produce extreme consistency and require less technical knowledge, but it can also limit the number of antibodies that can be used successfully. Open systems and off-line HIAR allow the flexibility to use many more types of antibodies, but technicians need to be well trained and diligent in their record keeping in order to insure consistent staining. 

When considering the purchase of an automated IHC staining system, the challenge is that there are so many options from which to choose. How does one find the right system that best meets the needs (and the budget) for your unique laboratory Potential buyers in the market for an IHC automated staining system are encouraged to contact the individual vendors and ask them for an on-site laboratory demonstration of their equipment. The volume of... 

TABLE 9.2 Manual Staining versus Automated Staining... 

In summary, the following items bear mentioning and should be carefully considered by the Anatomic Pathology Laboratory when trying to fill the laboratory demands and needs with an automated IHC staining system. 

Customer Service and Service Contracts It is important to choose a vendor that has a good customer service track record. Contact other laboratory directors and supervisors to ascertain their experience with the vendors that service their laboratories. Also, the cost of a service contract will need to be factored into the laboratory operating budget after the acquisition of an automated staining platform. 

Bankfalvi A, Boecker W, Reiner A. Comparison of automated and manual determination of HER2 status in breast cancer for diagnostic use a comparative methodological study using the Ventana BenchMark automated staining system and manual tests. Int. J. Oncol. 2004 25 929-935. 

Zeheb R. Automating immunohistochemistry. In Immunohistochemical Staining Methods, 4th edition, ed. ME Key, pp. 103-106. Carpinteria, CA Dako, 2006. 

The slides received in alcohol are stained in the Sakura Automated Stainer. Please see Non-Gynecologic staining procedure. The air-dried slides are stained manually in Diff-Quik stain. 

Once the staining procedure is completed, the slides are coverslipped with the Leica Automated coverslipper. 

It was therefore somewhat surprising when, in the early 1980s, a number of independent reports worldwide indicated that myeloperoxidase deficiencies may be quite common in the population of apparently-healthy individuals. These observations came from the use of the Hemalog D or Technicon H6000, flow-cytochemical systems intended to automate differential white blood counts. Part of this system uses a peroxidase stain, and hence neutro-... 

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