A rapid and efficient method for testing immunohistochemical reactivity of monoclonal antibodies against multiple tissue samples simultaneously

doi:10.1016/0022-1759(87)90249-3

Journal of Immunological Methods

Volume 103, Issue 1, 23 October 1987, Pages 121-129

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1759(87)90249-3 Get rights and content

Abstract

A flexible, efficient and rapid method was developed whereby a small volume of monoclonal antibody could be used to immunohistochemically stain many different tissues, simultaneously, on one standard glass slide. This method is based on the preparation of ‘cores’ of paraffin-embedded tissue from standard histology blocks. The paraffin cores are straightened, inserted into a casing cut from an ordinary drinking straw, mounted in a paraffin block and sectioned. Over 120 individual tissue samples can be organized on a slide and stained for screening or characterization with 0.25 ml of diluted primary antibody. Advantages of this paraffin core method include: great economies in time, reagents, tissue specimens and antibodies; ease of producing multiple, regular, stable, easily handled tissue core samples; direct identification of intratissue regions of interest for inclusion; efficient use of rare tissue samples; versatility for rapid construction of multiple tissue slides containing any combination of relevant tissues from a ‘library’ of tissue cores; and, no need for deparaffinization and reembedding of tissues.

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Citation Excerpt :
After sectioning, these TMA blocks allow simultaneous analysis of all the cores on one slide (Hoos and Cordon-Cardo, 2001; Prins et al., 2014; Saggioro et al., 2014) (Fig. 1). Early attempts to create TMAs arranged tissue cores in a ‘tissue straw’ or ‘sausage’, (Battifora, 1986; Wan et al., 1987). Further development resulted in cores embedded individually in a grid pattern (Kononen et al., 1998).
Tissue microarrays (TMAs), where each block (and thus section) contains multiple tissue cores from multiple blocks potentially allow more efficient use of tissue, reagents and time in neuropathology.
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For microglial pathology we found good concordance between virtual cores and whole sections for volume density using one 1.75 mm core (equivalent to a 2 mm core after accounting for peripheral tissue loss). More sophisticated microglial cell size and measures required two cores. Qualitative results of pTDP-43 pathology showed use of one 1.75 mm core gave a 100 % sensitivity and specificity within grey matter, and 88.3 % sensitivity and 100 % specificity within white matter. A method of producing the TMAs was suitable for immunohistochemistry both manually and by autostainer, with the minimal core loss from the microscope slide.
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Research reportA rapid and efficient method for testing immunohistochemical reactivity of monoclonal antibodies against multiple tissue samples simultaneously

Abstract

The multitumor (sausage) tissue block: Novel method for immunohistochemical antibody testing

Lab. Invest.

Monoclonal antibody production: Principles and practice

Research report
A rapid and efficient method for testing immunohistochemical reactivity of monoclonal antibodies against multiple tissue samples simultaneously