Immunohistochemistry Core

The Department of Pathology at Indiana University School of Medicine partners with Indiana Pathology Institute and IU Health hospitals to offer resources and support biomedical researchers through the Immunohistochemistry Core. Projects supported by this facility include histologic and immunohistochemical labeling of cells or tissue sections as well as collaborations with surgical pathologists.

Information on methods and costs are provided to researchers upon request to assist in writing grant budgets. Pricing is competitive and varies depending on the type of service, volume of specimens and need for reagents or human resources. State-of-the-art equipment is supported by American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP)-certified professionals.

Free consultation with the center’s manager or director is available as part of any new experiment. The service provided can apply both traditional methods and more recent technical developments to meet the investigator’s needs.

Request Service

Investigators interested in support services from the Immunohistochemical Core Lab can complete a request through iLab.

iLab

Services and Support

Histopathology

Histopathology support for the preparation of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded histologic tissue sections are available. Services include processing, embedding, sectioning and staining of tissue sections. Stains include routine hematoxylin and eosin as well as special stains (e.g., for infectious organisms or structural proteins).
Immunohistochemistry

For immunostaining of frozen or paraffin-embedded tissue sections, both traditional “brown stains” (horseradish peroxidase+DAB), alkaline phosphatase (AP) in conjunction with multible colors for the purpose of double labeling and fluorescent-labeled probes are available. Specimens may require processing by hand or may be run on one of two Dako automated immunostainers. If requested, collaborations may be negotiated with pathologists for interpretation.
Clinical Antibodies

The Immunohistochemical Core Lab offers a number of clinical antibodies for immunolabeling primarily human tissue sections. Many of these antibodies do not cross-react with other species. If an investigator requires antibodies that are not on the list of those available, (s)he can order them through a purchasing agent and ship the reagents to his/ her laboratory. The Immunohistochemical Lab staff can titer the new antibodies on the investigator’s tissue samples. The investigator should provide positive and negative control tissues.

Initiating Service

Investigators interested in support services from the Immunohistochemical Core Lab can complete a request through iLab. If you do not have an iLab account or have any questions please reach out directly.

To submit samples, please use the following protocol:

Fixed samples for processing should be submitted in labeled cassettes stored in liquid-tight containers filled preferably with 70% ethanol, but formalin will be accepted if the container is tightly closed (label the container with which fluid is used). Already prepared blocks or slides may also be submitted.

These should be delivered to rm 4001 (4th floor) in the IU Health Pathology Lab building (located in the IUHealth Pathology Lab, 350 W 11th St, Indianapolis, IN 46202; shuttle to either Path Lab or Fairbanks Hall, if on campus).

Laboratory Members

Led by Muhammad Idrees, MD the Immunohistochemical Core Lab is operated by Barry Woods, MT(ASCP*), Lab Director; along with Lee Ann Baldridge, BA, HT(ASCP), QIHC; and Lauren Kennedy, Clinical Research Specialist.