Welcome to our FAQ blog post about the Lumea BxAlign. This multifaceted tool is designed to reduce rescans, like our FocalRing, and also serves as a proprietary fiducial for Lumea’s digital pathology software and artificial intelligence. We compiled a list of frequently asked questions about this technology so you can see if it might be the right fit for your lab.
What is the BxAlign?
The BxAlign is a specialized marker designed to be embedded with small tissue specimens. It serves a critical dual purpose in digital pathology workflows:
- Focusing Aid: It provides a reliable plane of focus (via a visible arrow) to significantly reduce scanning failures and rescans.
- Fiducial Marker: It acts as a proprietary reference point for Lumea’s digital pathology software and AI, ensuring consistent positioning across all sections.
What is the purpose and benefit of the BxAlign?
The BxAlign delivers two primary benefits to the pathology lab:
- Improved Efficiency: It reduces rescans by providing a consistent plane of focus for the scanner, thereby improving the quality of digitized slides.
- Enhanced Review: It enables the Lumea MultiView feature in Viewer+™ or BxLink™, allowing pathologists to view multiple levels and stains of the same specimen simultaneously, which facilitates easier and faster comparison and review.
What specimen types work with the BxAlign?
The BxAlign is designed for small specimen slide preparation.
How is the BxAlign used in the lab workflow?
The BxAlign comes processed and ready to be embedded with the tissue sample in a paraffin block. The workflow is straightforward:
- Sectioning: Lab personnel section the BxAlign block at the same thickness (e.g., 3-4 microns) as the tissue or cell structure.
- Mounting & Clearing: The section is placed on a slide, deparaffinized, and cleared.
- Sample Placement: The desired tissue or cell sample is placed next to the BxAlign on the slide.
- Standard Processing: Labs can then resume standard processes for staining and digitizing.
How does the BxAlign ensure consistent positioning?
When implemented at the embedding station, the BxAlign provides an unaltered fiducial marker that maintains its exact location relative to the tissue in every section cut from the block. This consistent positioning allows the Lumea software (Viewer+™ or BxLink™) to accurately align and use the MultiView feature for optimal digital slide comparisons.
How many uses can I get out of one BxAlign block?
One BxAlign block provides up to 100 sections when cut at 3 to 4 microns thick on the microtome.
Schedule a call with us today to try the BxAlign in your lab.
