K941170 · Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. · DEH · Apr 22, 1997 · Immunology
Device Facts
Record ID
K941170
Device Name
VENTANA ANTI-MELANOMA PRIMARY ANTIBODY
Applicant
Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
Product Code
DEH · Immunology
Decision Date
Apr 22, 1997
Decision
SESE
Submission Type
Traditional
Regulation
21 CFR 866.5550
Device Class
Class 2
Indications for Use
Ventana Medical Systems' Anti-Human Melanosome(Clone HMB45) may be used to aid in the identification of abnormal cells of melanocytic lineage as an aid in diagnosis of anaplastic tumors.
Device Story
Anti-Human Melanosome (Clone HMB45) is a mouse monoclonal antibody reagent used in immunohistochemistry. It binds to a 10kD neuraminidase-sensitive sialylated glycoconjugate in immature melanosomes. Used in clinical pathology laboratories, the reagent is applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections, typically processed on automated slide stainers (e.g., Ventana ES). A pathologist evaluates the slides for cytoplasmic staining intensity and distribution. Positive staining indicates melanocytic differentiation, aiding in the identification of melanoma metastases and distinguishing melanocytic lineage in anaplastic tumors. The reagent assists in clinical decision-making by providing diagnostic confirmation of melanocytic origin, though it does not distinguish between benign and malignant melanocytic proliferations.
Clinical Evidence
Bench testing only. Study evaluated 75 normal tissues and 20 melanoma tumors. Sensitivity: 19/20 (95%) melanoma tumors stained positively. Specificity: 0/75 normal tissues stained. Inter-run reproducibility (16/16) and intra-run reproducibility (10/10) demonstrated consistent staining intensity using DAB detection kits.
Technological Characteristics
Mouse monoclonal antibody (Clone HMB45) targeting 10kD neuraminidase-sensitive sialylated glycoconjugate. Reagent for immunohistochemistry. Used with automated slide stainer (Ventana ES) and DAB detection kits. Formulated for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections.
Indications for Use
Indicated for use as an aid in the diagnosis of anaplastic tumors by identifying abnormal cells of melanocytic lineage in tissue samples.
Regulatory Classification
Identification
An immunoglobulin (light chain specific) immunological test system is a device that consists of the reagents used to measure by immunochemical techniques both kappa and lambda types of light chain portions of immunoglobulin molecules in serum, other body fluids, and tissues. In some disease states, an excess of light chains are produced by the antibody-forming cells. These free light chains, unassociated with gamma globulin molecules, can be found in a patient's body fluids and tissues. Measurement of the various amounts of the different types of light chains aids in the diagnosis of multiple myeloma (cancer of antibody-forming cells), lymphocytic neoplasms (cancer of lymphoid tissue), Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (increased production of large immunoglobulins), and connective tissue diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus.
Submission Summary (Full Text)
{0}
K941170
APR 22 1997
# 510(k) Summary of Safety and Effectiveness
This summary of 510(k) safety and effectiveness information is being submitted in accordance with the requirements of SMDA 1990 and 21 CFR 807.92.
Ventana Medical Systems' Anti-Human Melanosome(Clone HMB45) may be used to aid in the identification of abnormal cells of melanocytic lineage as an aid in diagnosis of anaplastic tumors. Anti-Human Melanosome(Clone HMB45) specifically binds to an oncofetal antigen present within immature melanosomes in the cytoplasm of melanoma cells and prenatal and infantile epithelium. This product is substantially equivalent to the same clone sold by a different manufacturer.
Ventana Medical Systems' Anti-Human Melanosome(Clone HMB45) contains a mouse monoclonal antibody directed against a 10kD neuraminidase sensitive sialylated glycoconjugate present in immature melanosomes¹. Melanoma metastases from axillary lymph node finely minced in phosphate buffered saline was used as the immunogen. The spleen from a BALB/c mouse injected intraperitoneally with the minced tissue was fused with NS-1 cells. Hybridomas were screened by immunocytochemistry on Carnoy's fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of the same melanoma that was used as an immunogen².
In normal tissues, HMB45 has been shown to react with immature melanosomes in fetal and neonatal melanocytes and infantile retinal pigment epithelium¹,². It does not react with normal resting adult melanocytes, regardless of the degree of pigmentation²,³,⁸. The presence of the antigen indicates active melanosome formation and thus melanocytic differentiation⁹,¹³. Adult melanocytes are capable of re-expressing the fetal antigen upon activation. Melanocytes activated by a variety of stimuli have been observed. For example, HMB45 positive cells have been detected in tissue overlying or adjacent to granulation tissue, hemangiomas, vessel-rich tumor stroma, and basal cell carcinomas³,⁹,¹⁰,¹³. Occasional pigmented cells of hair follicles have been observed to stain positively². HMB45 staining has not been observed with melanocytes in lentigines or overlying fibroblastic proliferations, such as keloids, dermatofibromas and old fibrotic hemangiomas⁹. HMB45 does not appear to react with any non-melanocytic tissues, and its expression in adults is confined to neoplastic melanocytic cells¹.
Many fetal antigens are re-expressed in oncogenic tissue. In malignant cells, HMB45 stains most primary and metastatic melanomas²,³,⁴,⁵,⁸,¹³. Several investigators have confirmed the high sensitivity and specificity of HMB45 for melanoma³,⁴,⁵. Desmoplastic malignant melanomas infrequently express the HMB45 antigen, possibly because they contain few melanosomes and have a mesenchymal pattern of differentiation²,¹³. Non melanocytic tumor cells of epithelial, lymphoreticular, glial and mesenchymal origin are not labeled¹,³,⁵ except for renal angiomyolipomas (RAML), a type of mesenchymal hamartoma¹¹,¹². An HMB45-related antigen located in the myoid component of RAML appears to be similar to the HMB45 antigen present in melanomas¹².
HMB45 is reactive with "activated" melanocytes as seen in melanomas, junctional nevi, junctional components of compound nevi, Spitz nevi, and cellular blue nevi, while it is nonreactive with common acquired and intradermal nevi and intradermal components of compound nevi²,³,⁶,¹³. Because of this differential staining on pigmented cells, HMB45 immunostaining may be a
{1}
useful adjunct for measuring the Breslow depth of melanomas, since it is positive on melanoma cells and negative on deep nevi cells that may accompany melanomas⁶,⁷. Unfortunately, HMB45 is not useful in distinguishing benign and malignant melanocytic proliferation because it recognizes junctional nevi. Spitz tumors and atypical melanocytic hyperplasia².
## Comparative Study
Supporting data for the equivalence statement is shown by the following study. Formalin fixed paraffin embedded preparations from normal and pathologic samples were tested using the Ventana Anti-Human Melanosome Antibody. Samples were obtained from excess tissues obtained for reasons other than the present study. Pathologic and normal tissues were examined. Slides were processed on the Ventana ES Automated Slide Stainer, prepared for examination, and evaluated by a qualified pathologist for specific staining intensity and background staining.
## Results
Staining occurred in the cytoplasm of melanoma cells. Negative control tissue was all negative. There was no inappropriate staining of the tissues in this study.
Specificity of the antibody was shown by no staining of normal cells of 75 normal tissues and staining of cells of melanoma tumors.
The sensitivity of this antibody was shown by consistent staining of 19 of 20 melanoma tumors. This agrees with the report Gowan and associates² where 60 of 62 melanomas showed positive staining. As with any immunohistochemical reagent, the sensitivity is dependent on tissue processing and slide preparation parameters. The negative control which was run with each tissue gave negative results.
Inter-run reproducibility was determined based on samples of the same tissue on 16 different instrument runs using the antibody and DAB detection kits. Sixteen of 16 stained positively. All slides has similar staining intensity. Intra-run reproducibility was determined based on 10 samples of the same tissue within one run using the antibody and DAB detection kits. Ten of 10 slides stained positively. All slides stained with equivalent staining intensity.
## References
1. Kapur RP, Bigler SA, Skelly M, Gown AM: Anti-melanoma monoclonal antibody HMB45 identifies an oncofeatal glycoconjugate associated with immature melanocytes. J Histochem Cytochem 1992;40:207-212.
2. Gown AM, Vogel AM, Hoak D, Gough F, McNutt MA: Monoclonal antibodies specific for melanocytic tumors distinguish subpopulations of melanocytes. Am J Pathol 1986;123:195-203.
3. Colombari R, Bonetti F, Zamboni G, Scarpa A, Marino F, Tomezzoli A, Capelli P, Mestraina F, Chilosi M, Fiore-Donati L: Distribution of
{2}
melanoma specific antibody (HMB45) in benign and malignant melanocytic tumors. Virchows Archiv A Pathol Anat 1988;413:17-24.
4. Ordonez NG, Xiaolong J, Hickey RC: Comparison of HMB45 monoclonal antibody and S-100 protein in the immunohistochemical diagnosis of melanoma. Am J Clin Pathol 1988;90:385-390.
5. Wick MR, Swanson PE, Rocamora A: Recognition of malignant melanoma by monoclonal antibody HMB45. An immunohistochemical study of 200 paraffin-embedded cutaneous tumors. J Cutan Pathol 1988;15:201-207.
6. Taylor RT and Cote RJ. Immunomicroscopy: A Diagnostic Tool for the Surgical Pathologist. W.B. Saunders Company. Philadelphia, 1994.
7. Duray PH, Palazzo J, Gown AM, Ohuchi N. Melanoma cell heterogeneity. A study of two monoclonal antibodies compared with S-100 in paraffin sections. Cancer 1988; 61:2460-2468.
8. Esclamado RM, Gown AM, Vogel AM. Unique proteins defined by monoclonal antibodies specific for human melanoma. Am J Surg 1986;152:376-385.
9. Smoller BR, McNutt NS, Hsu A. HMB45 recognizes stimulated melanocytes. J. Cutan Pathol 1989; 16:49-53.
10. Smoller BR, Hsu A, Krueger J. HMB45 monoclonal antibody recognizes an inducible and reversible melanocyte cytoplasmic protein. J Cutan Pathol 1991; 18:315-322.
11. Pea M, Bonetti F, Zamboni G, Martignoni G, Riva M, Colombari R, Mombello A, Bonzanini M, Scarpa A, Ghimenton C, Donati LF. Melanocyte-marker-HMB45 is regularly expressed in angiomyolipoma of the kidney. Pathol 1991; 23:185-188.
12. Ashfaq R, Weinberg AG, Albores-Saavedra J. Renal angiomyolipomas and HMB45 reactivity. Cancer 1993; 71:3091-3097.
13. Skelton HG, Smith KJ, Barrett TL, Lupton GP, Graham JH. HMB45 staining in benign and malignant melanocytic lesions. Am J Derm 1991; 13:543-550.
Predicate graph will load when search results are available.
Embedding visualization will load when search results are available.
PDF viewer will load when search results are available.
Loading panels...
Select an item from Submissions
Click any panel, subpart, regulation, product code, or device to see details here.
Section Matches
Results will appear here.
Product Code Matches
Results will appear here.
Special Control Matches
Results will appear here.
Loading collections...
Loading
My Alerts
You will receive email notifications based on the filters and frequency you set for each alert.
Sort by:
Create Alert
Search Filters
Agent Token
Create a read-only bearer token for Claude, ChatGPT, or other agents that can call HTTP APIs.
Copy this now. It will not be shown again.
Connected apps
Apps you authorized through browser sign-in. Disconnecting revokes their access immediately.
Learn the FDA Browser
Two short videos show you everything — or skip straight to the written tutorial if you'd rather read. You can reopen this any time from the Tutorial button in the top bar.
Part 1 — Search, results, and everyday workflows 16 min
Part 2 — Embeddings: the galaxy map 3 min
1. Search: exact and fuzzy
Type a phrase like "coronary artery calcification" into the search box. You get two kinds of results. Exact results match the literal phrase — prefix searches work ("coronary artery calcificati") but suffix searches do not. Fuzzy results match on the meaning and intent of your phrase rather than the exact words, and are sorted by relevance score. Hover over the Exact or Fuzzy badge on any row to see exactly why it matched.
Use the checkboxes above the results to narrow: SaMD keeps only software-only devices, AI / ML keeps only devices with AI.
Exact vs. fuzzy search: what's the difference?
Exact matches on the literal phrase (prefix search works, suffix does not). Fuzzy matches on the meaning and intent of the phrase rather than the exact words. Hover over the badge on any row to see why it matched.
You search "coronary artery calcification" and want only software devices with AI. What two filters do you apply?
Narrow by SaMD (software-only devices), then narrow by AI/ML (devices with AI).
2. The results table
Scroll right in the results table. The intended use is extracted for you — no need to open the PDF. The device story gives a high-level snapshot of what the device does and how it's used. The AI Performance sub-table shows each output name, acceptance criteria, observed values, and development/test dataset descriptions — the same format Innolitics uses for regulatory strategy outputs, and the fastest high-level fingerprint of an AI device. It is AI-generated but has been very reliable in practice.
Where do you find a device's intended use without opening the PDF?
Scroll right in the search results table. The intended use column is extracted for you; no need to dig into the 510(k) summary PDF.
What does the AI Performance sub-table show, and why is it useful?
Output name, acceptance criteria, observed values, development dataset description, and test dataset description. It's the same format we use for regulatory strategy output and Fast 510(k) input, and the fastest high-level fingerprint of an AI device. AI-generated but reliable in practice.
3. Judging fuzzy relevance
Fuzzy results trail off in relevance as you scroll. Use three signals to decide how far down to go: the fuzzy badge explanations, the intended use column, and whether your target output (e.g., Cobb angle) still appears in the AI Performance sub-table. Once it stops appearing, you're past the relevant zone. A top hit with a low score (~0.4) and a stretched explanation is a hint the closest predicates are far away — the project may be headed for De Novo. Note the fuzzy search is a pattern match: it doesn't handle negation ("not") well, and hardware devices can appear — filter by SaMD/AI ML to cut them.
How do you judge how far down fuzzy search results to go?
Use the relevancy signals: the fuzzy badge explanations, the intended use column, and whether the target output (e.g., Cobb angle) still appears in the AI Performance sub-table. Once it stops appearing, results are trailing off in relevancy.
4. Device detail page: chat and citations
Click a device name to open its detail page: device facts on the left, a chat window on the right. Ask something like "Describe the training data". The answer carries little citation bubbles — click one to jump to the highlighted passage in the source PDF, so you can verify every AI answer against the document. There's also a Download PDF button for sharing.
How do you verify an AI chat answer on the device detail page?
Click the citation bubbles to jump to the relevant highlight in the source document.
Reading rule for every project: how many summaries do you read in full?
At least the three most relevant 510(k) or De Novo summaries, in full. After that, use targeted chat questions to confirm your memory quickly. The tool supports this professional habit — it doesn't replace it.
5. Side-by-side comparison
Select multiple rows in the results table (aim for under ~10), then open the PDF Viewer tab. Ask one question — it goes to all selected devices in parallel, each with citations. This is the fastest way to compare and contrast devices: training data, PCCP scope, how they handled adding new scanners, and so on.
What does the side-by-side PDF viewer mode do?
Select multiple devices, open the PDF viewer tab, and ask one question (e.g., "Describe the training data"). It queries all selected devices simultaneously with citations, so you can compare and contrast quickly.
6. Collections
With rows selected, go to the Collections tab and create a labeled collection (e.g., "Cobb Angle Project"). Reload that selection any time — before a client call, pull up the collection and ask questions across all of its devices at once.
How do you save a set of selected devices for later use?
Select the rows, go to the Collections tab, and create a labeled collection (e.g., "Cobb Angle Project"). You can reload the selection anytime and carry it into the PDF viewer and other tabs that support selections.
7. Product codes and the regulations tree
Click a product code in the results to jump to it in the regulations tree — identification text, sibling product codes, and devices you can open in a PDF viewer on the right. Click a regulation number to see its identification, special controls, and related product codes. You can also search by product code or regulation number at the top of the tree. Always read the special controls if any exist for your device — it broadens your search and sharpens pre-kickoff research.
What can you do from the regulations tree view?
Browse product codes and regulation numbers, read the identification text and special controls, browse sibling product codes, open device PDFs on the right, and search by product code or regulation number at the top of the tree.
8. Chart view
Click Show Chart and segment by regulation number (or product code) to see which regulations dominate your result set. Clicking a regulation takes you into the regulations tree. Great for spotting that most matches are, say, hardware laparoscopic devices — a cue to go back and filter.
How do you see which regulations dominate a search result set?
Click "Show Chart" and segment by Regulation Number. Clicking a regulation takes you to the regulations tree.
9. The predicate graph
Open the Predicates tab for a family-tree view of predicate relationships. Click a node to trace its parents and children; selections from search carry over pre-selected. Commonly predicated devices are worth reading — a lot of people predicated them for a reason. The visual lineage is also handy on client calls, e.g. to show how a predicate family evolved and justify why your predicate still holds.
In the predicate graph, why are commonly predicated devices worth reading?
A lot of people predicated them for a reason. Clicking a node traces parents and children, and selections from search carry over pre-selected.
10. Embeddings: the galaxy map
The Embeddings tab plots every matching document in a 2-D "galaxy map" where semantically similar devices cluster together. Hover or click clusters to explore, and let AI label the clusters for you. Embeddings beat product codes for grouping: two devices can carry different product codes (LLZ vs. QIH) yet do the same thing — the embedding captures the meaning of the intended use and device story. This is also exactly how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) works under the hood, and it makes a great visual on client calls.
Try it yourself
Head to the search page and work through a few of these AI/ML fuzzy searches to build intuition: perivascular fat on CT · aortic valve calcification opportunistic screening on noncontrast CT · breast cancer prediction on digital pathology slides · autism detection · gestational age prediction · a hearing aid that can also detect a pulse · foundation model based analysis of ECG · large language models · penetration test. Watch how the relevance scores, intended use, and AI Performance tables tell you when results stop being meaningful.