Preface

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a technology has been part of the scientific and medical community since the 1930s. It was officially reported in the scientific literature by Dr. Albert Coons and his colleagues in 1942 [1]. IHC combines immunological and biochemical techniques to create discrete images of the components within tissues by using appropriately labeled antibodies. By utilizing this technique, IHC makes it possible to visualize and document specific cellular components within cells. Fortunately, IHC continues to incorporate new technology and still remains widely accepted by scientists and physicians 70 years later.

It is the purpose of this book to introduce the reader to some of the most recent uses and developments in the field of IHC. Chapter 1 discusses the history and development of IHC over the decades. Additionally, the chapter offers a reconsideration of the concept of applying heat-induced antigen retrieval for immunological studies using a variety of tissue specimens to determine the effects of antibody diluents on IHC. Chapter 2 provides a review of IHC detection systems with an emphasis on their principles, history, advantages, and limitations, and delineates factors that need to be considered for choosing an appropriate detection system for IHC applications. The aim of the third chapter is to highlight the tyramide signal amplification methodology to multiplex immunofluorescence and image analysis to identify several proteins at the same time in one single tissue. This type of methodology associated with image analysis can be performed using high-quality throughput assay for translational research studies to apply to cancer prevention and treatments. In Chapter 4 the authors explain how low-specificity but high-sensitivity immunostaining can be used for visualizing pathogens in paraffin-embedded sections. Chapter 5 describes how IHC can be employed for in situ identification of ectoenzymes involved in the hydrolysis of extracellular nucleotides.

The above is only a briefly description of the contents of this book. As the reader will observe, the book provides new and useful information concerning the rapidly advancing field of IHC.

> **Charles F. Streckfus, DDS, MA, FAAOM, FAGD** University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston, Department of Diagnostic and Biomedical Sciences, Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Bldg., Houston, TX, USA
