Dako Autostainer - Manual (Page 55)

Dako Autostainer | User Guide 55
Assigning Positive and Negative Control Reagents
Positive and negative control reagents can be automatically added for each primary antibody that
is added to the Programming Grid. The controls will be added as new slides and will contain the
matching detection reagents of the test specimen.
1. Enter Slide Information and select a protocol template. A minimum of one slide must be
programmed through SLIDE COUNT or the SLIDE INFORMATION screen. Press OK or
the FINISH ENTRY button. The PROGRAMMING GRID is displayed.
2. Fill in the PROGRAMMING GRID columns with specific reagents for one slide. After the
primary antibody is applied, NEG.CTL and POS.CTL buttons will appear in the menu bar.
Continue entering the detection reagents from that slide.
3. To insert a matching positive control, click on the POS.CTL button. One slide will be
added to the PROGRAMMING GRID with matching reagents to the last programmed
slide. In the slide number column, PC will be displayed signifying that this is a positive
control reagent.
4. To insert a negative control, click on the NEG.CTL button. One slide, with the negative
control reagent, will be added to the PROGRAMMING GRID with matching detection
reagents to the last programmed slide (i.e. “NCVimentin”.) In the Slide # column, “NC”
will be displayed signifying that this a negative control reagent.
NOTE: The NEG.CTL tool always searches for negative control reagents from the
primary antibody list designated “_NC” (the “matching” negative control). If there are no
negative controls of this designation, or if the matching negative control is missing from
the reagent list, then an error will appear stating that there is not matching negative
control reagent. To add a matching negative control, see Reagent Management, section
11.
NOTE: After the NEG.CTL or POS.CTL feature is used, the button will disappear until the
next primary is programmed.
NOTE: If you do not wish to use this feature noted above, then continue programming as
usual. This feature is not active when using Auto Program.
Defining Specific Rinses
Rinses are automatically added following every programmed reagent (except for Protein Block; a
blow step is added following a Protein Block) when assigned as described above. The type of
rinse is selected in the Protocol Template (see Designing a Protocol, section 9).
The type of rinse can also be changed from the PROGRAMMING GRID.
1. In a rinse column, position the mouse pointer over an activated tile and click the left
mouse button. Each time the button is pressed, this will change the rinse to a different
selection: rinse buffer, rinse (DI) water, blow, or none (for details of each option, see
Designing a Protocol, section 9).