Standardization of FISH-procedures: summary of the first discussion workshop.

Currently, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) is widely used to assess the localization of genetic elements in tissues, nuclei of cultured cells, and spreads of metaphase chromosomes. The advent of commercially available probes and labelling kits for whole or partial chromosome painting and pathogenetically important gene loci has allowed FISH to enter routine work. Still, however, FISH procedures vary grossly from laboratory to laboratory, and are far from optimal for many questions in modern biology and medicine. Here, a report on the 1st discussion workshop on standardization of FISH-procedures held at Schloss Elmau, Bavaria, October 9–10, 2002 is given. This meeting was organised by Christoph Cremer (Heidelberg), Michael Hausmann (Freiburg) and Hans J. Tanke (Leiden) as a satellite workshop to the 2nd Elmau conference on nuclear organization. The workshop was convented to discuss recent developments, problems of routine applications, and future requirements in the intriguing subject of specific fluorescence DNA labelling especially in the interphase cell nucleus. The idea was to bring together applicants of diagnostic routine, applicants in basic cytogenetic research, and developers of FISH techniques. The 10 participants very lively supported the discussion and elaborated some future aspects for methodological research and requirements to FISH probe manufacturers.