Quality control comes in many forms in the IHC laboratory. It is important to have controls to assess the antibodies' specificity. These include negative and positive tissue controls and negative and positive reagent controls. There should also be controls for the system used in IHC staining itself (manual or automated).
Controls are the key to successful IHC staining. They assure quality and consistency, not only in the stain results but also in the methodology. Controls guide the identification of problems, help explain what caused the issues, and help assess the equipment/personnel performing the staining competency. Poor quality control can lead to poor quality results. It is essential to have an efficient quality management program in place for the IHC laboratory.
