[Histonet] immunostainers

[CrochiereSteve <@t> aol.com]

I wholeheartedly recommend the Nemesis Immunostainer from Biocare Medical.
I have been using this instrument for almost a year and have had no technical 
problems with this machine. The increased capacity compared to other 
available instruments has been a great help in handling the workload in my laboratory. 
The instrument can stain up to 84 slides per run and has 40 reagent 
dispensers available. The slide layout can be altered to a 72 slide mode allowing for 
up to 80 reagent dispensers, however I have not need to do so. I prefer more 
slides to more reagents. 
            The system is open and staining protocols can be altered to meet 
your specific needs. I have been getting acceptable results with the staining 
protocols provided with the antibodies purchased from Biocare and have also 
used antibodies from other companies with good results. The antibodies and 
detection kits from Biocare have proven to be reliable and are less expensive 
compared to other commercial vendors resulting in a savings this past year on 
budgeted expenses set aside for immunohistochemistry testing.
            Another nice feature of this instrument is the ability to set up 
a delayed start run so that slides can be stained overnight and be ready the 
next morning. Although counterstaining can be done on the Nemesis, I prefer to 
do my counterstain off- line in my routine H&E stainer. This keeps the Nemesis 
cleaner and allows me to use the spaces that would be taken up by the 
hematoxylin and bluing reagents for antibody dispensers. I use Biocare’s hematoxylin 
and bluing for a counterstain.
            Here is a short list of the reasons that I purchased the 
instrument:
 
Greater slide and reagent capacity
Less expensive to use
Open and flexible programming
Overnight staining
Good experience with Biocare’s antibodies in the past
Reliable results
 
I hope this will help you in considering this instrument for use in your 
facility. If I can be of any further assistance, feel free to call or e-mail.
 


Steven M. Crochiere, HT(ASCP)
Histology Supervisor
LifePath Partners @ Mercy Medical Center
Springfield, MA 01104