How Does IHC Work?

Antibodies are substances that bind with antigens in all living cells. IHC uses the relationship between the two substances to identify specific cells in a sample. The first step in the IHC process is a tissue biopsy, which is then sliced into sections so that IHC can be conducted on either a slide preparation or a free-floating sample, which can be either a fresh or frozen sample. Once a sample has been prepared a lab technician will introduce specialized antibodies into the specimen through the use of a stain or florescent dye. These specimens have been labeled in such a way that they allow identification of the specific antigen proteins associated with the antibodies. Once this reaction has occurred the sample is washed and the markers remain, but only in the tagged cells, making identification possible.