Leica Microsystems BOND automated advanced staining platform

Leica Microsystems and Abbott have reached an agreement for Abbott to supply fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probes that target the HER2 gene locus. The probes will be used to develop a fully automated FISH solution for HER2 testing on the Leica Microsystems BOND, an automated advanced staining platform.

Abbott’s PathVysion FISH assay is the gold standard ISH (in situ hybridization) test for diagnosing the response of patients to Herceptin. Leica Microsystems will develop an automated version of this test to be performed on its BOND system using a standard protocol. Automation of the test on the BOND system will enable pathology laboratories to run this diagnostic test more efficiently.

The HER2 FISH test is designed to identify patients who are likely to respond to Herceptin, a drug which is used as a frontline therapy for treatment of breast cancer. Tumours, which over express HER2, are most suitable for treatment with Herceptin. HER2 over expression can be detected at the protein level using IHC (immunohistochemistry) or at the DNA level using ISH.