Dermatology, Cosmetology and Plastic Surgery

Immunohistochemistry

This branch of science involves the process of selectively imaging antigens in cells of a tissue section by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens in biological tissues. IHC roots come from "immuno", in reference to antibodies used in the procedure, and "histo," meaning tissue. Immunohistochemical staining is the special type of staining which is widely used in the diagnosis of abnormal cells such as those found in cancerous tumors. Specific molecular markers are characteristic of particular cellular events such as proliferation or cell death it distinguish on this basis. Immunohistochemistry is also widely used in basic research to understand the distribution and localization of biomarkers and differentially expressed proteins in different parts of a biological tissue.