Reduction of animal experimentation by increasing depth using multiplex immunohistology

In this session, Prof. Klaus Scholich will provide insights into multiplex immunohistology and how this method helps reduce animal experiments.

Multiplex immunohistology allows single tissue slices to be stained with a theoretically unlimited number of antibodies. This results in image stacks containing complex information on protein expression by the individual cell types as well as their tissue locations and respective cellular neighborhoods.

The use of innovative bioinformatics analyses on the one hand enables conclusions about functional interactions between individual cell types, and on the other hand provides new insights into the effects of pharmacological interventions on inflammatory processes.

Due to the high data density, small numbers of experiments are sufficient for robust statements to be made. The small number of samples required thus significantly reduces the number of experimental animals. In addition, comparison with human material allows the suitability of translating the animal models to humans to be evaluated.