When being introduced to digital pathology, you hear first about how new technology has been developed, making digital pathology easier and more viable. But what does this new technology entail, and how is it changing pathology for the better? Lumea’s technology is innovative and revolutionary without the need to add bulky and expensive equipment. Here is an all-inclusive list of Lumea’s digital pathology technology for prostate cancer:
BxLink™ (exclusive to Lumea):
BxLink is digital software that begins in the clinic. It can integrate with a clinic or hospital EMR to schedule appointments and record patient encounters. BxLink tracks where tissue is in every step of the diagnostic process giving clinicians useful behind-the-scenes data, like when a sample has been received by the lab. Labs may use BxLink in place of or integrated with their LIS. It also stores the digital slides when the slides have been scanned for diagnostic purposes. Pathologists can then use BxLink to view the tissue sample on the slides, create notes and markings, and create their final report. After the report is approved, the clinic is immediately notified on BxLink.
Annotations from the BxLink
BxBoard® (exclusive to Lumea):
The BxBoard has patented tissue preservation technology and is used to transport tissue samples from a clinic to a lab. Previously, tissue samples were placed free-floating in bottles of formalin, which could cause issues such as curling, segmentation, or over-fixation. Now, each BxBoard has 6 lanes that hold prostate cores, which reduces the risk of segmentation, preserves tissue orientation, and keeps cores laying flat to prevent other issues. It also consolidates what is normally transported in six bottles into one compact device. BxLink tracks the BxBoard using RFID tags. When the RFID tag is scanned by the clinic it notifies the lab that it’s in transit. Once the BxBoard is received at the lab, the lab scans the RFID tag which pulls up the patient information on BxLink, keeping everything streamlined and organized and reducing the risk of mixing up patient specimens.
The BxBoard
BxChip® (exclusive to Lumea):
The BxChip is a sectional matrix created to hold the prostate cores during grossing and processing. Holding up to 6 cores each, the tissues lay completely flat in a BxChip, allowing pathologists to review more tissue. This design makes it easy to scan and upload, as it preserves the tissue orientation and integrity of the samples.
The BxChip
BxCam® (exclusive to Lumea):
Lumea’s BxCam automates the grossing process of tissues. Simply put the tissues into the BxChip, place it under the camera, the camera takes a picture, artificial intelligence accurately measures tissue surface area, and then the lab technician can review the measurements in BxLink. This smart tissue camera significantly reduces grossing time and makes the measuring process less tedious.
Smart Tissue Camera
Digital Slide Scanner:
In the last step of the digital pathology prostate tissue process in the lab, a digital slide scanner will upload the samples to BxLink. Pathologists can view, annotate, and diagnose digitally from any validated location, which is very helpful in a world where remote work has become common.
Leica Digital Slide Scanner
Artificial Intelligence/AI:
Artificial intelligence is used in digital pathology to analyze the tissue cores that have been uploaded to the digital software, or BxLink. After making a diagnosis, a pathologist can use the AI integrated with BxLink to review their diagnosis or patterns too small for the human eye to detect. Learn more about the AI companies here.
AI in action
This technology can significantly improve the process of cancer detection, especially when patients are waiting on what could be life-changing results. Tissue orientation is preserved, creating a better view of the samples and improved diagnosis results, resulting in accurate treatment plans. Also, the actual digital pathology process timeline is better because it is not necessary to mail slides anymore. Lab technicians upload and stored everything digitally (however, they still keep and store physical blocks and slides.) To see a visual of all the technology, check out this video here.
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