HistoNews: Exploring Spatial Biology Through Multiplex IHC — What Researchers Should Know

A review: Spatial biology is transforming tissue research — here’s how multiplex IHC workflows are helping researchers see more in every slide.

Image source: BioTechniques

Introduction

In the world of histology and tissue research, the ability to see multiple molecular markers together and in spatial context is increasingly critical. A recent article on BioTechniques highlights an end-to-end workflow for exploring spatial biology through multiplex immunohistochemistry (IHC), showing how advanced protocols can reveal the complexity of tissue architecture and cellular interactions in ways that traditional single-marker staining cannot.

In this blog, we review the key ideas from that article and relate them to how multiplex IHC — including the coloured, chromogenic workflows we’ve been focusing on this week at LabNexus — can elevate your research.

What the BioTechniques Article Describes

According to BioTechniques, modern multiplex IHC technologies allow researchers to visualise multiple markers on the same tissue sample, providing a window into how different cells and proteins are arranged and interact within a tissue’s microenvironment. These workflows can include techniques such as tyramide signal amplification and cyclic immunofluorescence — methods that build on traditional IHC to increase multiplexing capacity and spatial resolution.

The article highlights a workflow developed by Fortis Life Sciences, described as an end-to-end multiplex imaging and histology solution. Although the BioTechniques page itself is brief, it points to a more detailed white paper explaining how cyclic multiplex imaging systems prepare and analyse tissue sections, validate antibodies, and integrate multiple rounds of staining and imaging to capture rich spatial data.

Why a Spatial Biology Workflow Matters

Spatial biology goes beyond simply knowing which proteins are expressed — it reveals where they are in relation to each other, and what that means biologically. In cancer, for example, knowing the relative proximity of immune cells to tumour cells, or how stromal fibroblasts orient around tumour nests, can influence:

• Understanding tumour immune evasion

• Evaluating prognostic biomarkers

• Mapping functional niches within the tumour microenvironment

Multiplex IHC makes this possible by preserving tissue structure, cell position, and marker relationships within a single section — something that traditional serial staining can only estimate.

How Multiplex Workflows Build on Modern IHC

The multiplex workflows explained in the article involve:

1. Careful antibody selection and validationChoosing antibodies that are specific, produce clean signal, and behave well in multiplex conditions is critical for reliable results.

2. Multiple rounds of staining and imagingTechniques like cyclic immunofluorescence repeat cycles of staining, imaging, and antibody removal, allowing dozens of markers to be visualised on one sample.

3. Image alignment and spatial analysisAfter staining, images are aligned and merged so that marker patterns can be analysed in situ — revealing patterns that are biologically meaningful.

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These workflows are designed to handle the complexity of spatial biology — not just detecting markers, but integrating their expression with physical relationships across tissue compartments.

Connecting Spatial Biology and Coloured IHC

While the BioTechniques article focuses on an advanced imaging workflow, the underlying concept overlaps with what we’ve been discussing this week: multiplexing and the power of seeing more in a single tissue section.

At LabNexus, you can already take advantage of multiplex approaches using:

• Coloured chromogenic IHCUsing distinct chromogens such as red, purple, teal, blue, green, yellow, DAB, and silver to visualise multiple markers on one slide.

• Multiplex staining panelsDesigning combinations of markers that reveal co-expression and spatial relationships, such as immune infiltration in tumour tissue.

Both chromogenic multiplex and advanced cyclic workflows aim to answer the same question: how do different proteins and cells interact in their native tissue context? Spatial biology workflows like the one described in BioTechniques highlight how far the field is expanding — from simple single-marker stains to robust, multi-marker landscapes.

Why This Matters for Your Research

Understanding spatial biology can transform how you interpret your histology data. Instead of assessing markers independently in serial sections, multiplex approaches let you see:

• Which cell types are near each other

• Whether markers co-occur in the same structural niche

• How tissue organisation changes across disease states

This opens up deeper biological questions and stronger hypotheses — especially in cancer, immune profiling, and tissue development studies.

LabNexus: Supporting Multiplex and Spatial Histology

At LabNexus, we help researchers realise the potential of multiplex IHC for spatial biology applications. Our offerings include:

• Multiplex chromogenic IHC using a broad palette of colours (red, purple, teal, blue, green, yellow, DAB, silver)

• Tissue processing, embedding, and sectioning

• Custom panel design for your research questions

• High-resolution slide scanning for digital and quantitative analysis

We deliver fast turnaround times and reliable results for researchers across London and the UK — helping you visualise biology in its true context.

Please note: LabNexus provides histology services for research purposes only and does not process clinical diagnostic samples.

Click here to book your Free Consultation with us and plan your multiplex panel

Conclusion

The BioTechniques review of an end-to-end multiplex IHC workflow highlights an exciting trend in spatial biology: the move toward techniques that not only detect multiple markers, but preserve the relationship between those markers in the tissue microenvironment. Whether you’re using coloured chromogenic multiplex IHC or exploring advanced cyclic workflows, the goal is the same — to extract more meaningful, spatially aware information from every slide.

Multiplex IHC is not just a stain; it’s a tool for deeper, more contextual insights in tissue research.

References

1. An end-to-end workflow for exploring spatial biology through multiplex IHC. BioTechniques, 24 Jul 2024. (turn0view0)

2. Fortis Life Sciences. Multiplex immunohistochemistry and spatial biology workflow (white paper).(turn0search5)

3. Multiplex immunohistochemistry overview. Fortis Life Sciences resources.(turn0search8)