Digital Pathology Blog

Philips and Dako join forces in digital pathology

Eindhoven, the Netherland and Glostrup, Denmark – Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) and Dako, yesterday announced that they have signed an agreement to integrate a selection of Dako’s image analysis applications into Philips’ future digital pathology solutions.

 http://www.research.philips.com/initiatives/digitalpathology/news/100721-dako.html

“Anatomic pathology is an essential element of virtually every cancer diagnosis and the demand for it is ever-increasing. Our goal is to develop integrated digital solutions that enhance the operational efficiency and productivity of pathology departments, as well as increasing diagnostic confidence,” says Bob van Gemen, General Manager of Philips Digital Pathology. “I am convinced that our partnership with Dako, with its leading market position and expert knowledge in detecting and quantifying specific biomarkers in cancer tissue, will significantly accelerate our clinical applications development program.”

“We are very pleased to announce this collaboration with Philips, a leading company in the healthcare industry that is committed to entering the digital pathology market,” says Lars Holmkvist, CEO of Dako. “By joining forces with Philips, we will be able to deliver highly competitive diagnostic tools based on Philips’ extensive clinical expertise and technology know-how and Dako’s expertise in advanced staining and image analysis in order to benefit pathology laboratories, pathologists and ultimately patients.”

Currently, anatomic pathology workflows to examine tissue samples are based on the microscope, through which pathologists examine tissue sections mounted on glass slides and treated with different stains. The staining enhances the contrast between, or reveals the presence of, cellular and molecular components such as cell nuclei or specific proteins. Accurate interpretation of the results is critical to the diagnosis and staging of each individual patient’s disease and requires a great deal of skill and experience.Digitizing the images that pathologists normally view through a microscope may enable the introduction of objective and quantitative image analysis tools.

Dr. Clive Taylor, MD, PhD, Professor at University of Southern California, USA, and a renowned expert in pathology, expresses about the collaboration: “Digital pathology has been long in gestation, in comparison to radiology, where images also are the currency of practice, and where image acquisition, transfer, interpretation and storage is almost entirely digital. In part, this lag is because acquisition of histopathology images is dependent upon a 100 year old technique of ‘tissue fixation’, sectioning and staining. In part, it is because, somewhat surprisingly, fully digitized histopathology images are much larger than CT files, and difficult to manage and analyze. Progress has been slow because there has been no single institution, or company, that embraces both of these areas. It is exciting that collaborations like that between Dako and Philips are now bringing diverse but appropriate expertise to bear on implementing a full digital pathology program.”

A fast pathology slide scanner and an associated image management system form the basis of Philips’ proposed integrated solutions for digitizing pathology workflows. The Philips-Dako collaboration will initially focus on leveraging Dako’s image analysis software for tissue-based breast cancer diagnosis using its reagents for staining HER2, Estrogen Receptor (ER), Progesterone Receptor (PR), p53 and Ki-67 proteins. The detection and quantification of these proteins in biopsy tissue are highly relevant for the classification of breast cancers and the selection of appropriate therapy. Philips and Dako will also explore the possibility of extending the collaboration to include image analysis software for immunohistology-based prostate and colon cancer diagnostics.

Pre-2005 Medical Residents Entitled to FICA Refund

I am late learning this apparently but a colleague recently told me if you were a resident between 1995 to 2005 you did not need to pay FICA. It was withheld in all cases, but most residencies/graduate medical education departments filed application for a refund based upon your status as a student.

Here is the IRS information on the issue:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=219731,00.html

The Internal Revenue Service has made an administrative determination to accept the position that medical residents are excepted from FICA taxes based on the student exception for tax periods ending before April 1, 2005, when new IRS regulations went into effect.

The IRS has begun contacting hospitals and universities who filed FICA (social security and Medicare tax) refund claims for these periods with more information and procedures.

Medical residents with pending claims do not need to take any action at this time.  The IRS will send letters to medical residents after it it sends letters to all employers that filed claims.

Taxpayers with currently pending suits should contact the Department of Justice attorney assigned to the case.

Additional information:

• Questions and Answers
• News release

What is to become of the general surgical pathologist?

There was a story in the New York Times yesterday entitled "Prone to Error: Earliest Steps to Find Cancer" (Tuesday, July 20, 2010) written by Stephanie Saul, a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist.  There is also a 7 minute video that accompanies the article produced by Shayla Harris, an award winning video producer with the New York Times.  

In short, the article deals with examples of errors in breast cancer diagnoses and personal stories of women affected including a case involving a misdiagnosis lawsuit.  

The video mentions the "American College of Pathology" I think referring to the College of American Pathologists, refers to pathologists "helping doctors diagnose cancer" while we "work in a lab rather than seeing patients".  It also says that the biopsy samples may be the size of a "few grains of salt".  

There are some excellent comments by Dr. Shahla Masood (note the clipboard and seeing a patient in her web profile picture) and reference to a certification program for breast pathology credited to Dr. James Connolly citing possible financial implications for referrals to "breast pathologists".

There is no doubt this is a confusing area of pathology, even among experts as the story points out, and no one likes to hear about adverse outcomes and second and third opinions in some cases may be warranted.

This brings up a number of complex issues and the story is not favorable to pathology or pathologists.  The "American College of Pathology" and a "few grains of salt" and call out a pathologist who did obtain a second opinion?  Come on.  

Nonetheless, the story highlights errors made out of "hundreds of thousands of breast biopsies performed in this country a year", presumably from imaging guided biopsies detected from screening mammograms.  The debates continue about appropriate screening.

One mistake is too many but in my opinion the story puts pathology in a bad light and will only further undermine patients' confidence in the accuracy of their testing and diagnoses.  

I don't know which is worse the public thinking all pathologists are like "Quincy" or worse, like Dr. Kevorkian or have anything at all to do with the movie "Pathology" or this.   

Today, the CAP (aka "American College of Pathologists) sent a letter to the editor of the New York Times addressing pathologists’ commitment to continually improve the accuracy of diagnosing DCIS.

Having spent enough time in small community hospitals by myself for periods of time as a part-timer in doing so, I have a lot of respect for those folks who do it as a career without immediate "next door experts" or having renown "experts" in your department as I have enjoyed.  Add to that problems with classification and reproducibility and a drive towards one having their own "breast radiologist", "breast oncologist", "breast surgeon" and "breast pathologist" - what is the general pathologist to do?  And what happens when your "breast pathologist" is on vacation or at a "breast meeting" and these cases come across your microscope?

It is a delicate balance with significant push-pull involved with sub-specialty designations.  

And what are we as patients to do?  Go to cancer centers or specialty hospitals and seek out internal medical sub-specialists or surgical sub-specialists bypassing generalists and community hospitals? 

Arizona Telemedicine Program Receives State Medical Association Award

Congratulations to Drs. Weinstein and Lopez and their colleagues at teh University of Arizona and Arizona Telemedicine Program. The scale of this program and the number served as part of a public health initiative is an example for other states and universities.

Ronald S. Weinstein, MD, FCAP, director, and Ana Maria López, MD, MPH, FACP, medical director, of the Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP) at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, have been honored with Distinguished Service Awards by the Arizona Medical Association (ArMA).

 

The ArMA Distinguished Service Awards are given to individuals or organizations providing outstanding service to the community individually or collectively.

 

“In the last 15 years, Arizona has seen the development of a robust telemedicine program in our state, and these two physicians have been vital to its development and success,” notes ArMA president Gary R. Figge, MD, who presented the awards on June 4 at the ArMA 2010 President’s Banquet. “The work of these two physicians has indisputably demonstrated their service and dedication to the Arizona community.”

 

Telemedicine is the use of telecommunications technology to provide health-care services to patients who are geographically separated from a physician or other health-care providers. Since Drs. Weinstein and López began their work, the ATP has emerged as one of the largest telemedicine programs in the world and has received numerous national and international awards for its patient services, distance education programs, research and innovations. Patients in 70 communities statewide have received more than one million teleconsultations facilitated by the ATP. This year, 500 hours of continuing medical education and continuing education will be delivered to 34 communities using bi-directional video conferencing.

 

Dr. Weinstein is foundingdirector of the ATP and UA professor of pathology and public health. In 1996, he and Arizona state Rep. Robert “Bob” Burns (now state senate President Burns) established a pilot telemedicine program in Arizona. This initially consisted of eight pilot sites and included the establishment of telemedicine clinics in underserved rural communities, several Indian Health Service hospitals, and at an Arizona State Prison in Yuma. Since then, the ATP has created a large statewide broadband health-care telecommunications network, which it operates, linking dozens of health-care organizations in Arizona for the first time.

 

Dr. Weinstein also has been recognized for his innovations in the fields of pathology and telepathology and for creating a number of innovative education programs and courses. A Massachusetts General Hospital-trained pathologist and Harvard-trained cancer scientist, he served for 32 years as an academic pathology department chairman. While chairman of the Department of Pathology at Rush Medical College in Chicago (1975-1990), he developed robotic telepathology, introduced the word “telepathology” into the English language and authored a stream of scientific papers and books on telepathology. As chair of the Department of Pathology at the UA (1990-2007), he established an international telepathology diagnostic network and validated the diagnostic accuracy of telepathology. He is known as the “father of telepathology” and recently received the Eliphalet Nott Medal from Union College (Schenectady, New York), which recognizes “the perseverance of alumni who have attained great distinction in their field.” Previous Nott Medal Awardees have included a Nobel Laureate and the inventor of the laser. Dr. Weinstein has had a career-long interest in organized medicine and has had many leadership roles. He is past president of five national professional societies, including the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, the International Society for Urologic Pathology (ISUP) and the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). He has received Distinguished Service Awards from both the ATA and the ISUP. Dr. Weinstein also has been an innovator in other areas. He and Richard A. McNeely, former director of Biomedical Communications at the Arizona Health Sciences Center, co-designed the T-Health amphitheater in Phoenix. The T-Health amphitheater received the 21^st Century Achievement Award, Education and Academia, from the Computerworld Honors Program. Dr. Weinstein is the author or co-author of more than 500 scientific articles, book chapters, monographs and published abstracts. A popular teacher, Dr. Weinstein is a recipient of the UA Basic Science Teacher-of-the-Year Lifetime Teaching Award and has been honored at five UA College of Medicine graduation ceremonies.

 

Dr. López is founding medical director for the ATP. She also is associate dean for outreach and multicultural affairs at the UA College of Medicine, UA professor of medicine and pathology, and a member of the Arizona Cancer Center and the UA BIO5 Institute. She serves on the board of directors of University Physicians Healthcare, the non-profit corporation created in 1985 as the medical practice of the physicians of the UA College of Medicine. She also serves as elected governor of the Arizona chapter of the American College of Physicians. In 2005, the National Library of Medicine recognized her as a Local Legend as part of a program highlighting the positive, enduring contributions of women physicians nationally to the health care of their communities.

 

Drs. Weinstein and López have continuously collaborated on developing and managing innovative academic programs since 1990, when Dr. López was chief resident in medicine at University Medical Center.

 

About the Arizona Telemedicine Program

 

Established in 1996, the Arizona Telemedicine Program (ATP) is a large, multidisciplinary, university-based program that provides telemedicine services, distance learning, informatics training and telemedicine technology assessment capabilities to communities throughout Arizona and in neighboring states. A division of the ATP, the Institute for Advanced Telemedicine and Telehealth (T-Health), is housed in the historic Phoenix Union High School building on the campus of the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. One of the nation’s first regional demonstration learning centers, T-Health incorporates both telemedicine and telehealth – distance learning and health care delivery – using a wide range of technologies, including real-time videoconferencing, electronic transmission of digital medical images and data and the Internet. For more information, visit the website, www.telemedicine.arizona.edu

 

About the Arizona Medical Association

 

The Arizona Medical Association is a voluntary membership organization for Arizona physicians. The mission of the Arizona Medical Association is to promote and provide leadership in the art and science of medicine; to preserve and improve the health of all people in Arizona by developing and maintaining the highest standards; to represent the physician and the profession in the public forum; and to defend the freedom and ability of the physician to practice medicine in the best interests of the patient.

 

Original story link: http://opa.ahsc.arizona.edu/newsroom/news/2010/arizona-telemedicine-program%E2%80%99s-drs-weinstein-and-lopez-receive-distinguished-serv

Leica Microsystems Wins European Scanner Contest

First Prizes for Scan Speed and Best-Focused Images

Leica Microsystems‘ Slide Scanner Leica SCN400 and Autoloader Leica SL801 have come first in two categories of the first European Scanner Contest (ESC). The prizes were awarded in the “Scan Speed and Best-Focused Images” category, each at 20x and 40x magnification.

The jury was convinced by the digital pathology system by Leica Microsystems: Thanks to the patented “Dynamic Focus”, the Slide Scanner Leica SCN400 produces virtual images of exceptional quality at unprecedented speed. Another product designed for high throughput in the pathology lab is the Autoloader Leica SL801, which is capable of scanning up to 384 samples at a time. “By winning first prize, Leica Microsystems has again asserted its market position. We will continue to play a key role in shaping the future of virtual microscopy and digital pathology,” said Dr. Bodo Falke, Sales Manager Central Europe for Leica Microsystems, at the award presentation in Vilnius, which hosted the 10^th European Congress on Telepathology and the 4th International Conference on Virtual Microscopy last week.

The European Scanner Contest was held within the framework of “Pathology Week“, a joint event of the German Society of Pathology and the Association of German Pathologists. With this competition, the organizers have created the first opportunity to compare the speed and imaging quality of different scanners using identical samples. The contest is also intended to promote the development of virtual microscopy products.

Source: Leica Microsystems

http://www.leica-microsystems.com/news-media/press-releases/press-releases-details/article/leica-microsystems-wins-european-scanner-contest/

Digital Pathology Consultants Launches a Digital Pathology Webinar Series

Digital Pathology Consultants, a leader in digital pathology consulting services has launched a free webinar series provided by www.thedigitalpathologywiki.com and its sponsors; established to arm adopters and users with the information necessary to be successful with digital pathology.

Broomfield, CO (PRWEB) July 12, 2010

Digital Pathology Consultants, a leader in digital pathology consulting services announced today the start of a free webinar series provided bywww.thedigitalpathologywiki.com and its sponsors; established to arm adopters and users with the information necessary to be successful with digital pathology.

The series will kick off with "Digital Pathology: How to Put The Pieces Together" presented by Amanda Lowe, President of Digital Pathology Consultants on July 20, 2010 at 12 PM EST. Amanda will provide an overview of the key pieces of digital pathology including acquisition, integration, data management, and interpretation and how to efficiently put the pieces together. This is an excellent webinar for individuals who are planning to adopt a digital pathology solution, or who have a solution and want to know how to maximize the investment and use the technology to its full potential.

The series will continue with a monthly one-hour webinar presented by industry leaders to educate the community, share best practices, keep current on industry advancements, and to cultivate healthy discussions about digital pathology.

Future webinars include "Pathology 2.0" presented by Keith J. Kaplan, MD a surgical pathologist and CIO at Carolinas Pathology Group, on August 10, 2010 at 12 PM EST and "Image Analysis In A Regulated Environment" by Steve Potts, PhD, CEO of Flagship Biosciences on September 23, 2010 at 12 PM EST.

The webinar series is free to all registered attendees, however space is limited. Register today for this unique opportunity where the information you learn can be applied immediately.

About Digital Pathology Consultants, LLC

Digital Pathology Consultants, founded by Amanda Lowe, is the leading provider of digital pathology consulting services for the biopharma and healthcare industries. Our services help clients research, plan, select, implement, and validate digital pathology solutions. Knowledge, trust, and an open exchange forum shape the foundation of Digital Pathology Consultants. Delivering results is our promise, exceeding your expectations is our guarantee.

Webinar Announcement – Introducing: Definiens Tissue Studio 2.0

Title: Introducing: Definiens Tissue Studio 2.0™
Date: Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM GMT

Register Here:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/738419971

The most advanced digital pathology image analysis solution for biomarker translational research – just got better.

New in Definiens Tissue Studio 2.0:

● Full immunofluorescence support: Nuclear, membrane & cell detection; Cell simulation; Biomarker co-localization; Tissue microarray core detection; Full multiparametric quantification of all objects (cells or sub-cellular compartments); 12-color channel support.
● Improved nucleus detection for bright field images
● User Defined Feature Selection for Definiens Composer Technology
● And – still simple to use!

Speakers:

Dr. Kai Hartmann - Product Manager, Definiens
Peter Duncan - Director, Marketing and Business Development, Definiens

Olympus America Licenses Digital Pathology Patents to BioImagene

Olympus continues to enter into nonexclusive licensing agreements with other whole slide vendors.  The latest announcement is with BioImagene.  While the terms were not made public and often are not clearly one can see the value of this rich suite of patents that several vendors have entered into agreements with Olympus for imaging and data handling.  I gather more companies will also follow given what Olympus owns in order to continue to move the field. 

 

CENTER VALLEY, Pa., July 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympus America Inc. has signed a nonexclusive worldwide licensing agreement with BioImagene, Inc. of Sunnyvale, California, allowing BioImagene to access an extensive portfolio of Olympus patents in the field of digital pathology and virtual microscopy. This is the most recent of several licenses that Olympus has granted for the technologies, which are considered critical for developing future digital imaging and data handling systems for pathology.  

Digital pathology technology has the potential to change the way doctors review and manage millions of biopsy slides and other pathology specimens now handled using glass slides and traditional optical microscopes.  The patents included in the licensing deal cover methods and equipment for creating, storing and delivering virtual microscopy slides. The technology enables pathologists to view and share high-resolution virtual microscopy images over the Internet.

"The digital pathology field is evolving rapidly," said F. Mark Gumz, President and CEO of Olympus Corporation of the Americas, the parent company of Olympus America Inc., "and allowing other companies in this field like BioImagene to license these important patents will help advance the field of pathology, and ultimately promote better access to healthcare for patients around the world."

"Digital pathology is at an important inflexion point, moving very rapidly towards broad-based adoption. We believe that our relationship with Olympus will be a catalyst for this trend," said Ajit Singh, Ph.D., President and CEO of BioImagene. "Olympus has been a pioneer in this field, and their patent portfolio will complement BioImagene's innovations in end-to-end digital pathology."

In the United States alone, $13.2 billion was spent in anatomic pathology testing during 2008, according to a 2010 Laboratory Economics report. The Olympus portfolio enables development of solutions that can streamline the review of pathology slides and improve the speed of reporting, while saving costs and enhancing patient care. Virtual microscope slide technology also has the potential to aid hospitals in moving to comprehensive patient Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems – a transition that is already beginning in some parts of the world.

The companies are not making specific terms and conditions of the agreement public.

About Olympus Scientific Equipment Group

Olympus America Scientific Equipment Group provides innovative microscope imaging solutions for researchers, doctors, clinicians and educators. Olympus microscope systems offer unsurpassed optics, superior construction and system versatility to meet the ever-changing needs of microscopists, paving the way for future advances in life science.

About Olympus

Olympus is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in its core business areas: Medical and Surgical Products, Life Science Imaging Systems, Industrial Testing Instruments and Cameras and Audio Products.

Olympus works collaboratively with its customers and affiliates worldwide to leverage R&D investment in precision technology and manufacturing processes across diverse business lines. These include:

• Gastrointestinal endoscopes, accessories, and minimally invasive surgical products;
• Advanced research, clinical and educational microscopes and research and educational digital imaging systems;
• Industrial research, engineering, test, inspection and measuring instruments; and
• Digital cameras and voice recorders.

Olympus serves the healthcare field with integrated product solutions and financial, educational and consulting services that help customers to efficiently, reliably and more easily achieve exceptional results. Olympus develops breakthrough technologies with revolutionary product design and functionality for the consumer and professional photography markets, and also is the leader in gastrointestinal endoscopy and clinical and educational microscopes.  For more information, visit www.olympusamerica.com.

About BioImagene

BioImagene (http://www.bioimagene.com) is the leading provider of innovative and scalable digital pathology solutions for diagnostics. The company's total digital pathology solution is comprised of the Virtuoso™ digital pathology application software, iScan™ family of automated digital slide scanners, and a rich menu of Companion Algorithms™. BioImagene's innovative product line includes a unique image viewing input device called the iSlide™, and a high-performance pathology workstation called Crescendo™. BioImagene is also the platinum sponsor of PathXchange™, a vendor neutral, not-for-profit website for the pathology community.

SOURCE Olympus America Inc.

Blood smear reveals popular video game character

Image courtesy of pulkot on Flickr. 

Eosinophils are white blood cells that play an important role in parasitic infections and play a role in asthma and allergic conditions/reactions - when they are not masquerading as a character from a popular 80's video game.

Beth Israel Pathologists Press for Personalized Medicine Training

Leading pathologists from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School are among those advocating for making genomic and personalized medicine training part of all pathology residency training programs in North America over the next two years, according to “A Call to Action” published in the June issue of the American Journal of Clinical Pathology.

“No field of medicine has really taken this on, but there is a clear need for pathology to be out in front of this type of analysis in medical practice,” said Jeffrey Saffitz, M.D., Ph.D., BIDMC’s chief of pathology.

The suggested training curriculum would be modeled on that offered by the Genomic Medicine Initiative (GMI), which was launched by the BIDMC pathology department in 2009. “By July 2012, we want every pathology training program in the United States and Canada to have this program in place,” said Saffitz, adding that GMI officials have had discussions with CAP leaders about developing standards, as well as a funding model, for these programs. 

The curriculum includes lectures on current genomic testing technology, including next generation sequencing, as well as analyzing what the results mean—both for patients and other medical providers. Pathology residents also have the opportunity to analyze their own genome.

An important component of the training program is to understand what current genomic technology can offer in terms of information. “We want the residents to have a clear sense of what the current limits of this testing are, even though this is changing daily,” said Saffitz. “But overall, the goal of the training is to demystify personalized and genomic medicine to our residents.”