[Histonet] IHC control blocks

Tue Oct 10 07:05:55 CDT 2006

Patsy-

I also am sorry that I misinterpreted your email...and appreciate the time 
you've taken to clarify and to explain a little about NSH's IHC tissue 
control bank.

I understand what you are saying about using outside controls if one's own 
in-house processing of patient tissues is suboptimal...and I agree with you. 
  Hopefully, our exchange has also made some others aware of the fact that 
NSH has an IHC tissue control bank (I was previously unaware of that 
myself).  Thank you for bringing it to my attention -- I'm sincerely 
appreciative of your time.

Sherri

>From: "Patsy Ruegg" <pruegg <@t> ihctech.net>
>To: "'Sherri Anderson'" <specialstainsqueen <@t> hotmail.com>,        
><Rcartun <@t> harthosp.org>, <histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
>Subject: RE: [Histonet] IHC control blocks
>Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 16:08:50 -0600
>
>Sherri,
>I am sorry you took my statement as an insult I did not mean that not using
>your own clinical controls made you any less knowledgeable, I thought that
>you were perhaps from a clinical setting and was concerned about the 
>results
>compared to your tissue processing ( my concern was what was best for the
>patient) if you had a control tissue from outside that was optimally fixed
>and processed for that antibody and for some reason your in house patient
>tissue was not, you could possible get a false negative and think it was
>real because your control tissue worked.
>One of the very reasons we have the NSH IHC control tissue bank is for
>"research" just like you are doing and for really hard to find IHC control
>tissues.  We always say that what ever tissue block we send out has to be
>tested in your environment, we do not validate our tissues in the bank.
>Please do join the IHCRG, I am sure you will find this group very helpful
>and happy to share controls or any other resources we have.
>Best regards,
>Patsy
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Sherri Anderson [mailto:specialstainsqueen <@t> hotmail.com]
>Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 12:41 PM
>To: pruegg <@t> ihctech.net; Rcartun <@t> harthosp.org;
>histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>Subject: RE: [Histonet] IHC control blocks
>
>Thanks to everyone for their input.  I appreciate the information that was
>provided.
>
>To answer Richard's question, I do not work in a clinical hospital
>laboratory; therefore, I do not have access to a variety of human control
>tissues.  I simply want to validate my own antibody preparations for a
>project I am researching.  I totally understand what you (and others) are
>saying about preparing one's own control tissue -- and if I were able to do
>so, I certainly would.  Not only would it be more cost efficient, but it
>would also be more "standardized" since I would be the person doing the
>processing.  I agree with that.
>
>With regards to a subsequent email that questioned whether or not I should
>actually be doing the test(s) at all just because I'm looking to purchase
>control blocks, that's a little insulting.  A lot of people purchase 
>control
>
>slides for special stains and immunos -- should they not be running those
>stains just because they don't make their own controls?  Why does NSH have
>an IHC control tissue bank then if that is the case?  How does purchasing
>controls from a company or lab that specifically sells such a product
>somehow rob me of the knowledge, skill, and expertise necessary to conduct
>the test?  I have made my own monoclonal antibodies in the past via
>hybridoma production -- does that fact make me any better or more qualified
>at running an IHC test than someone who purchases their antibodies?  No, it
>doesn't.
>
>Anyway, thanks again for the responses.  I am also very grateful for the
>offers that I received to trade blocks with some labs, but I really don't
>have much to trade at this point...and what I do have, I actually need for
>myself (i.e. I don't have much to spare).  I got a couple of suggestions 
>for
>
>companies that actually sell control blocks, so I will look into that.
>Thanks again.
>
>Sherri
>
>
>
> >From: "Patsy Ruegg" <pruegg <@t> ihctech.net>
> >To: "'Richard Cartun'" <Rcartun <@t> harthosp.org>,        "'Sherri Anderson'"
> ><specialstainsqueen <@t> hotmail.com>,
> ><histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu>
> >Subject: RE: [Histonet] IHC control blocks
> >Date: Mon, 9 Oct 2006 10:06:21 -0600
> >
> >Good point Richard.
> >If you don't have the control tissue in house perhaps you should not be
> >doing the test????/
> >Patsy
> >
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> >[mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of Richard
> >Cartun
> >Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 9:25 AM
> >To: Sherri Anderson; histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> >Subject: Re: [Histonet] IHC control blocks
> >
> >Hi Sherri:
> >
> >Do you work in a hospital laboratory?  If so, you really should prepare
> >your own control blocks from tissue that you have on site.  I am not a
> >proponent of using someone else's tissue (that has been fixed and
> >processed differently) for control purposes.
> >
> >Richard
> >
> >Richard W. Cartun, Ph.D.
> >Director, Immunopathology & Histology
> >Assistant Director, Anatomic Pathology
> >Hartford Hospital
> >80 Seymour Street
> >Hartford, CT  06102
> >(860) 545-1596
> >(860) 545-0174 Fax
> >
> > >>> "Sherri Anderson" <specialstainsqueen <@t> hotmail.com> 10/09/06 10:22
> >AM >>>
> >Good morning everyone!  Does anyone know of a company that sells
> >control
> >blocks for IHC?  I'm looking for blocks rather than slides because 1) I
> >can
> >cut my own slides and 2) in the long run, the blocks would probably end
> >up
> >being more cost efficient.  Does anyone know of such a company?  I did
> >a
> >quick search on the web but didn't come up with anything.  I'm just
> >looking
> >for controls for some of the more "routine" antibodies:  actin, CEA,
> >cytokeratin, AFP, desmin, GFAP, S-100, chromogranin, PSA, etc.
> >
> >Thanks for any feedback!
> >
> >Sherri
> >
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