IHC Ready-to-use
Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a cornerstone technique for visualizing and localizing specific proteins within tissue samples, playing a vital role in life science research, drug development, and clinical pathology. However, traditional IHC protocols can be complex and time-consuming, involving multiple steps of reagent preparation, optimization, and manual handling, which demands significant expertise and effort.
Creative Diagnostics' ready-to-use IHC kits are designed specifically to simplify this workflow. They integrate all critical components—including optimized primary and secondary antibodies, detection systems, chromogenic substrates, and, importantly, positive control slides to validate your experiment—into a single package. This eliminates the need for tedious antibody titration, reagent preparation, and system assembly. Simply apply the reagents directly to your tissue sections following a streamlined protocol to start acquiring high-quality, reproducible IHC data quickly, allowing you to focus more on your scientific discoveries.
Core Components of the Kit
A complete ready-to-use IHC kit typically contains the following key components to ensure a seamless and convenient experiment:
| Component Category | Key Function & Description |
| Ready-to-Use Primary Antibody | Target-specific antibody, pre-optimized to its ideal working concentration for direct application. |
| Ready-to-Use Detection System | Includes secondary antibody, detection enzyme (e.g., HRP or AP), and signal amplification components. No dilution or mixing required. |
| Chromogenic Substrate | Such as DAB (3,3'-Diaminobenzidine), which reacts with the detection enzyme to produce an insoluble colored precipitate for target protein localization. |
| Buffers & Blocking Solution | Includes wash buffer and protein blocking solution to minimize non-specific binding, ensuring staining specificity. |
| Positive Control Slide | A tissue section known to express the target protein. Serves as a critical tool to verify the entire experimental run is functioning correctly. |
| User Manual | Provides detailed standardized protocols, notes, and guidance for result analysis. |
Ensuring Data Reliability: The Role of Experimental Controls
Rigorous control setup is fundamental for assessing the specificity and validity of IHC staining. In addition to the built-in positive control, we strongly recommend implementing the following controls as needed for your experiment:
| Control Type | How to Set It Up | Expected Result & Purpose |
| Negative Control (Primary Antibody Replacement) | Replace the primary antibody with buffer or an irrelevant IgG. All other steps remain identical. | No specific staining should be observed. Any signal indicates potential non-specific binding from the detection system, suggesting a need for optimized blocking or reagent checks. |
| Positive Tissue Control | Use a tissue section known to express the target protein (provided in the kit). | Clear, expected staining pattern should be visible. Lack of signal suggests a potential issue with the entire experimental procedure, such as reagent failure or protocol error. |
| Background/Endogenous Control | Observe unstained sample sections for autofluorescence or endogenous enzyme activity prior to the main experiment. | Helps understand the sample's inherent background, aiding in distinguishing specific signal from non-specific background. |
Why Choose Us
Choosing our ready-to-use IHC kits means opting for a complete solution engineered to significantly enhance experimental efficiency and data reliability. We provide an integrated, out-of-the-box reagent set that includes pre-optimized primary and secondary antibodies, detection systems, and essential positive control slides, greatly reducing your preparation and optimization time. Our meticulously optimized, standardized protocol simplifies the operational steps, enabling you to obtain publication-ready visual data rapidly. Furthermore, the kits are refined using established signal amplification technologies to deliver excellent signal-to-noise ratios with high sensitivity and low background, ensuring clear, specific, and dependable staining results.
