Breakthrough in digital
pathology from GE and UPMC
9 Nov 2010
Omnyx, a joint venture of GE Healthcare and UPMC, is
initiating clinical research testing of a breakthrough digital pathology
platform. The company expects it to help transform the 125-year-old
practice of pathologists using glass slides to prepare a biopsy for
diagnosis of a disease using a microscope.
By digitizing the slides and the corresponding workflow, the Omnyx
technology is intended to do what a traditional microscope cannot —
unite an entire pathology department and improve collaboration,
communication and efficiency, with the potential for better patient
care.
When the slide is digitised the image is stored on a central server,
making it accessible to a diagnostics service either within the
hospital or remotely.
Omnyx has initiated research testing of the technology at three
sites in the US and one in Canada. University of Pittsburgh Medical
Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Stanford University Medical
Center and University Health Network are currently installing,
testing and providing feedback on the research Omnyx platform, and
will collect data for an FDA submission.
GE Healthcare and UPMC have invested US$40 million to-date. The
digital pathology market is expected to grow to US$2 billion over
the next several years.
The breakthrough technology is part of GE Healthcare’s US$6bn
healthymagination initiative to improve cost, quality and access in
healthcare, and another example of GE Healthcare’s commitment to
investing in innovative bioscience technologies.
The Omnyx joint venture was inspired in 2008 by a ground-breaking
discovery at GE Healthcare’s Global Research Center, where
scientists developed a patented dual-camera scanning technology that
can digitize glass pathology slides at a fast pace without loss of
optical quality.
The new technology — which will be a truly integrated digital
pathology solution — is a combination of patented scanners that
boost scan speed by using one camera to scan the slide and a second
to simultaneously focus, new imaging software for highest-quality
images, and an information technology backbone that digitizes a
pathology department’s workflow.
The digital tools are designed to transform the practice of
pathologists using glass slides, microscopes and manual paperwork to
advance patient cases.
“The Omnyx technology was created by pathologists, for
pathologists,” said Gene Cartwright, CEO of Omnyx. “It is a uniquely
integrated digital pathology technology to digitize the entire
pathology workflow, and is expected to help improve efficiency,
enhance quality and bring about faster diagnoses for patients.
"Pathologists are a cornerstone in the diagnosis and treatment
plans for patients, and the development of this system has the
potential to further enhance their role. We expect that Omnyx will
provide a route for the field to adopt digitization, thereby reaping
the cost savings, increased access and quality benefits that other
fields, like radiology, have enjoyed since going digital.”
“Through healthymagination, we want to marry what’s possible with
technology with what’s needed to deliver better healthcare to more
people,” said Mike Barber, vice president of healthymagination, GE
Healthcare. “By partnering with UPMC we are combining our technical
innovation with UPMC’s expertise and clinical insight to modernize
and bring pathology into the 21st century — accelerating processes,
cutting diagnosis times and delivering relief to anxious patients,
overworked pathologists and resource-challenged hospitals.”
“Today, studies show an increased need for collaboration in
diagnosis in pathology. Given the inherent collaborative limitations
of glass slides — the fact that I have to ship it to someone else to
review — these consultations with colleagues are difficult,
time-intensive and limited,” said George Michalopoulos, professor
and chairman of the Department of Pathology at the University of
Pittsburgh School of Medicine and pathologist at UPMC.
“An integrated digital pathology solution will allow pathologists
to quickly share cases with the click of a button, increasing
collaboration among specialists and access for rural hospitals.”
“Digitizing pathology is the next big step for the industry —
it’s critical in revolutionizing the practice to keep up with the
digital age,” said Sylvia Asa, pathologist-in-chief and medical
director at the Omnyx research site University Health Network
(Canada).
“At the University Health Network, in addition to being more
efficient, we will be able to collaborate in new ways, which will be
exciting for our doctors and good for our patients who deserve the
same level of medical care regardless of their location.”