October Spotlight Newsletter: Latest news and information from Vector Laboratories

Our October newsletter is here with the latest news, tips, and tricks designed to help you advance your research.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Impact of polysialylation in breast cancer outcomes

To highlight the fight against breast cancer, we will walk you through a recent research publication that sheds light on the complex mechanisms behind breast tumor microenvironment. Read more here.

My staining didn't work, part 1: Background staining in IHC and IF

In this post, we will discuss common sources of background staining and offer tips and tricks for resolving these issues. Read more here.

My staining didn’t work, part 2: Absence of positive staining in IHC and IF

In this blog post, we offer tips and tricks for overcoming the absence of positive staining in IHC and IF. Read more here.

My staining didn’t work, part 3: IHC and IF staining tips

In this blog post, we discuss some miscellaneous factors to focus on when an IHC or IF protocol performs unexpectedly. Read more here.

Multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC), in which multiple antigens are labeled on the same tissue using enzyme-based substrates, can help researchers delve into an array of scientific topics including spatial relationships, intracellular signaling, and the tumor microenvironment.

• In an avidin/biotin detection system, it can be necessary to block endogenous avidin and biotin to mitigate background noise. When detecting multiple antigens, you should block before each primary antibody to prevent the subsequent set of labeling reagents from interacting with the prior set of labeling reagents.
• Watch out for potential incompatibilities between secondary antibodies. While it is usually no problem to use two secondary antibodies raised in the same species, issues may arise with some antibody combinations.
• Run single-label stains in parallel each time you perform multiplex immunohistochemistry to reduce the risk of a false positive result.
• Using a counterstain can detract from your specific antigen staining by masking your staining or interfering with the interpretation of your results. So, consider whether a counterstain is truly needed.
• When multiplexing, you should stain your labels in order from the least to most abundant antigen.