Blocking Reagents: The Building Blocks for Clean Staining

To obtain the most specific detection of antigens by IHC, it is essential for all non-specific binding sites be blocked. Antibodies and detection systems used in IHC are mostly protein-based reagents, and so they are susceptible to non-specific protein binding. If these sites are left unblocked, the antibodies and detection system may bind them, leading to background staining. Protein blockers mitigate this activity by competing for the non-specific protein binding sites on the specimen. Blockers can utilize serum, protein solutions, or proprietary protein-free compounds.