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Editorial
. 2014 Mar 17;3(1):4.
doi: 10.1186/2001-1326-3-4.

Proper paraffin slide storage is crucial for translational research projects involving immunohistochemistry stains

Mary Economou, Liliane Schöni, Caroline Hammer, José A Galván, Dominique-Elisabeth Mueller, Inti Zlobec  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Proper paraffin slide storage is crucial for translational research projects involving immunohistochemistry stains

Mary Economou et al. Clin Transl Med. .

Abstract

The use of paraffin slides and tissue microarrays (TMA) is indispensable for translational research. However, storage of paraffin slides over time has a substantial detrimental effect on the quality and reliability of immunohistochemistry stains. Particularly affected by this issue may be any collaborative efforts where paraffin slides or TMAs are shipped to central laboratories and then 'biobanked' for some time until use. This article summarizes some of the key issues affecting loss of antigenicity on paraffin slides and some simple storage solutions to help maintain high quality immunohistochemistry results when paraffin slides must be stored for a certain time prior to use.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Immunohistochemistry staining of a colorectal adenoma with mismatch repair protein MSH6 (20×; annotated region 40×) A) on a freshly cut slide (0 months), after paraffin-coated storage B) after 2 months, C) after 4 months and D) after 7 months.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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