Things are about to get colourful: tumour research using multi-stained tissue samples

A key task of pathology is the microscopic examination of surgical specimens following the preparation of a histological slide. The aim is to establish a diagnosis of the disease, on the basis of which treatment decisions are made. In cancer diagnostics, it is often very difficult to provide an individualised prognosis, as tumours represent a complex system of diseased and normal cells, the interactions between which are not yet fully understood.

As they grow, cancer cells interact with cells in the normal tumour microenvironment – in particular, connective tissue cells and cells of the immune system. The type and function of the cells involved, as well as the extent of this interaction, determine the individual fate of the tumour and, ultimately, that of the patient.

Uncovering these cell interactions is an essential step towards the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic methods, as well as individualised prognostic assessments. To achieve this, it is necessary to visualise the different cell types in a histological specimen simultaneously using specific staining techniques. Multiplex immunofluorescence staining (mIF) followed by multispectral imaging is an ideal method for this.

This is precisely what we will demonstrate to you.

• We explain the complex cellular system in human carcinomas: tumour cells versus cells of the tumour microenvironment versus the extracellular tissue matrix
• We describe the preparation of conventional immunohistochemical slides for the detection of diagnostic marker proteins in tissue
• We describe the preparation of mIF slides and explain how they differ from conventional immunohistochemical slides used in routine pathological diagnosis.
• We demonstrate the microscopic visualisation of mIF multi-labelling in carcinomas and explain the new insights that can be derived from the resulting ‘colourful images’

Further information is available on the Pathology Section’s website