Tissue based diagnostic tools enable pathologists to diagnose disease by viewing samples from a computer screen instead of a microscope eyepiece. They augment the toolkit pathologists use to make the most accurate diagnosis and improve patient outcomes.
The underlying technologies powering tissue based diagnostics include digital image analysis (DIA) and whole slide imaging (WSI). DIA tools are software applications that can analyze digitized pathology slides, automatically identify relevant regions of interest for further inspection or interpretation, and generate output data to help support decision making.
WSI scanners capture tissue samples and convert them into high-resolution digital images for display on computer screens. The system may be tile-based, capturing square field of view sections, or line-based, creating continuous stripe images.
These digital representations are stored in image management systems for archival and intelligent retrieval. These systems also integrate with laboratory information systems and digital pathology software to maintain complete diagnostic workflows. DWIs typically generate substantial data volumes, requiring specialized high-performance storage systems.
Molecular biomarker tests are often conducted on FFPE-processed specimens. DP/AI is an alternative to the traditional histology approach, providing a way to capture RNA and DNA for downstream molecular assays without compromising the FFPE sample for diagnostic H&E and immunohistochemistry. These tissue prints are snap frozen, allowing for rapid access to valuable biomarkers and avoiding the need to perform lengthy and costly histology processing, which can compromise cellular preservation. This method is highly reproducible and cost-effective, enabling access to advanced diagnostics even in resource constrained settings.
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