Immunohistochemistry/Special Stains

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a technology for the selective evaluation of antigens or proteins in tissue cells by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens. An antibody-antigen interaction is typically characterized by the catalyzation of the antibody conjugate to an enzyme for a color-specific reaction.

IHC staining is widely used in clinical diagnosis and basic research to study abnormal cells such as those found in cancerous tumors and can aid in classifications of neoplasms and determination of site of origin in metastatic tumors. Most recently, IHC immunostaining for PD-L1 expression has been indicated to predict patient response to treatment by PD-L1 inhibitors in specific tumor types.