microFIND Approach to Fluorescent in Situ Hybridization (FISH)

FISH technology has gained increasing attention in the management of cancer disease, either for predictive or prognostic indications. Molecular cytogenetics has greatly improved diagnostic capability of classical cytogenetics analysis of metaphase-based chromosome for the identification of genetic aberrations. The availability of a large number of fluorescent probes, each specific for different genetic lesions, together with a robust protocol for interphase FISH, provide the pathologist with the essential tools for an accurate evaluation of patient’s disease. Hemato-oncological and many of the solid tumors have been comprehensively characterized by peculiar genetic defects and are now routinely evaluated by interphase FISH. Despite the reliability of the method, which has undergone only minor changes since the 1970s, FISH assay is still hampered by reagents cost, preventing its adoption in large-scale oncological screening. In this chapter we describe a major improvement of interphase FISH assay for cytological samples through the description of the miniaturized device microFIND^� that offers, besides reduction of cost per assay, a completely novel vision to the FISH technology, thanks to the perspective of full automation of FISH assay using a dedicated robotic platform for microFIND^� handling, (not presently described in the chapter).