Dako Omnis Autostainer for Screening Tumor Tissues with Immunohistochemistry

Roswell Park Cancer Institute Corp, Buffalo NY

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Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) seeks funds for the purchase of a Dako Omnis autostainer for immunohistochemistry (IHC). The instrument will be housed in the Pathology Resource Network facility (PRN) and overseen by Dr. Angela Omilian. The PRN is supported by a Cancer Center Support Grant and has been serving researchers as a formal shared resource core at RPCI for 7 years. The histology expertise associated with the PRN facility dates to even earlier; this facility has assisted investigators wih automated IHC since 2001. Thus, PRN staff is experienced and well-suited to operate and maintain the requested equipment. In a typical year, the PRN processes at least 7500 research IHC slides and uses two autostainers on a daily basis to meet this demand. Recently, one machine has been failing and is at the end of its useful lifespan. This is the impetus for our application. IHC is a straightforward, well-established, and cost-effective platform for the detection of protein expression in human tissue. In a research setting, IHC is often used to screen tumor tissues for biomarkers that can be used for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, staging, and/or as markers of therapeutic intervention. Automated IHC via the Dako Omnis permits an unprecedented level of standardization from run to run, quality, and also allows the PRN facility to process up to 120 research slides each workday, easily serving the needs of several investigators at RPCI at once. This application includes 16 principal investigators spanning a diverse range of basic and translational research, yet all sharing the common mission of RPCI: To Understand, Prevent, and Cure Cancer. All users included in this application have a demonstrated history of using IHC to address translational research questions using biomarkers to signify the key cellular processes that are responsible for mediating tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and invasiveness. The requested Dako Omnis is superior to the current machinery used in the PRN for the following reasons: a) the Dako Omnis has temperature and humidity controls that permit an unprecedented level of standardization for antibody staining; b) the capability to run in situ hybridization simultaneously with IHC testing; ) an enhanced ability to run multiple slides for multiple investigators simultaneously and with ease; d) an increased slide capacity and shorter processing time allowing for greater throughput; e) uses less reagents permitting more slides per study for the same cost; f) a higher level of automation that reduces errors and ensures consistency. The Dako Omnis addresses all of the aforementioned factors in a way that is more controlled and comprehensive than any other staining system to date.