University of Leeds pathology unit expands tissue scanning capacity

7 September 2005

Vista, Calif., USA.

The University of Leeds Academic Unit of Pathology has increased its capacity to scan slides of tissue samples by acquiring five Aperio ScanScope virtual microscopy systems. The latest systems join previously installed ScanScopes in supporting a broad array of initiatives, including potentially enabling primary diagnoses to be made without referring to the glass slide.

The University has scanned over 10,000 slides for its educational, assessment testing, and tissue bank programs, and expects that number to ramp sharply with the addition of the five new systems. All of the ScanScope Systems selected by the university support high-throughput automated scanning and utilize Aperio Technologies' Digital Slide Information Management Software to manage the increased volume of digital slides. In addition, the university expects to benefit from use of Aperio's Magnification Changer option that enables users to double image resolution without the need for a second objective lens.

"Our current system has proved robust and provides high quality images that are available on www.virtualpathology.leeds.ac.uk ," said Professor Phil Quirke of the Academic Unit of Pathology, University of Leeds. "The Aperio system has allowed us to improve our research and bioinformatic systems, and we are evaluating its role in routine reporting and clinical trials."

"The University of Leeds is an innovative, forward-thinking institution that embraces virtual microscopy and is actively working to embed it into all aspects of pathology operations," commented Dirk Soenksen, CEO at Aperio. "We are pleased to continue to support them in their efforts through our UK-based European operations centre."

Virtual microscopy is the practice of converting entire glass microscope slides to high resolution digital slides — entire-slide images that can be remotely viewed, quantitatively analyzed, and readily annotated, shared and managed, all without a traditional microscope. Aperio's line of ScanScope Systems delivers automated high-speed digital slide creation, management, and analysis for pathology. Archival and retrieval, quality assurance, frozen section interpretation, secondary consultations, and entire-slide image analysis are all improved with the ScanScope System.

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