Overview of Automated Immunostainers

A significant consideration in the use of immunoreagents for microscopic slide staining is their cost. For many antibodies, fractions of a milliliter of fluid may be very expensive, particularly in the undiluted form. Traditional staining methods frequently use more reagent than allowed for by supply budget constraints. Additionally, routine immunostaining requires several dozen changes of reagent and is therefore labor-intensive, particularly when large numbers of slides must be stained. Using manual staining methods, wash procedures are such that they may result in slide to slide variations. Drying artifact is difficult to avoid, and occasionally, a slide may not even receive a reagent.