Accelerated immunohistochemical staining by microwaves

The application of microwave irradiation is extended to include the acceleration of the streptavidin-biotin peroxidase staining procedure for the detection of a wide range of antigens in paraffin-embedded sections of both normal and neoplastic tissues. Microwave irradiation is used for all procedural steps requiring incubation so that the entire staining procedure can be completed within 20 min. The technique is simple and convenient, with uniform irradiation times for different tissue antigens. The results obtained equalled that of conventional staining procedures.