[Histonet] Leica Bond III Opinions

[Roger Heyna]

Forwarding to Histonet:


Hi Roger,

The Bond IHC unit is used in two of the laboratories where I work. My hands-on experience is limited since I'm the new kid on the block but here's what I've learned, from my mistakes.  The unit does not know if the covertiles are in place or not and the staining is awful without them. 
I don't think we have come up with an efficient way to effectively clean the covertiles.  Rinsing or soaking in alcohol just doesn't do a very good job. I have spent way too much time soaking, wiping, and then rinsing.
No broken slide trays yet so they are holding up to daily use. 
I know the pathologists are happy with the stain results. The techs are happy with the ease of use. Shorter run time was one of the things used to justify purchasing the Bond. 
The "open" system allows for use of antibodies not from Leica. I was not involved in the validation process so I don't know the specifics of choosing CellMarque or some of the other suppliers and for some reason OSCAR and one or two other protocols are still run on an older Ventana unit.
The Bond requires a fair amount of daily and weekly maintenance but I think that's the norm for the more sophisticated stainers.
These are my observations from one unit, in one lab. The other laboratory where I cut paraffin blocks a couple nights a week, has six Bonds of various generations. The only thing I can say about them is they must get the job done or there would not have been such a big investment.
Take care,
Dorothy 
 
In a message dated 2/6/2013 2:16:19 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, rheyna <@t> lumc.edu writes:


Could I get the opinions of any labs using the Leica Bond III for IHC staining? I'm especially 
interested to hear from those that switched from Ventana to Leica, but any feedback is appreciated.

Few questions that come to mind:
Are you happy with the quality of the stains you're performing on the Bond III? 
Are there antibodies that you were not able to run on the Bond III?
Is the machine reliable, or does it break down often, requiring technical service?
How arduous is cleaning and managing the cover tiles?
Are the three black slide drawers durable?


Thank you,
Roger Heyna
Maywood, IL




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