Philips Ingenia provides high image quality to aid diagnostic confidence, increases clinical versatility, and improves productivity by shortening MRI exam times

Best, Netherlands – Today at the 96th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) showcased Philips Ingenia, the first-ever digital broadband magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) solution. Driven by Philips’ commitment to developing innovative patient care solutions, Ingenia MR delivers exceptional image clarity, scanning efficiency and scalability. The Philips Ingenia MR system is pending U.S. FDA 510(k) and is not available for sale in the U.S.

In order to visualize detailed structures within the human body, MRI orchestrates the application of radio frequency (RF), audio frequency and static magnetic fields, the strength of which is measured in Tesla (T) units. Clinicians have long relied on MRI for its exceptional ability to differentiate various soft tissues. Until now, all MRI systems have utilized analog components for the signal acquisition and processing needed to generate patient images. However, the use of analog components during these processes has limited the upper reaches of image clarity and quality.

The Ingenia MR system introduces, for the first time in MRI, digital signal acquisition and processing directly in the RF receive coil nearest to the patient. By digitizing the signal directly in the RF receive coil and maintaining the digital connection throughout the entire MRI scanning process, Ingenia is able to generate up to a 40 percent improvement in signal-to-noise ratio. Improving signal-to-noise ratio enables the delivery of crisp image clarity that clinicians need to help make informed decisions possible for a wider range of clinical procedures, including traditional applications like neuro and musculoskeletal and fast-growing applications like body and cardiac.

The Ingenia MR system incorporates an integrated, hidden posterior coil enabling full body coverage and eliminating the need to place multiple connecting coils around various parts of the body. This approach eliminates unnecessary prep time while offering each patient a more comfortable patient experience regardless of their unique imaging needs. When utilizing an Ingenia system, clinicians will find they spend significantly less time on the logistics related to patient set-up, contributing to as much as a 30 percent increase in throughput. Ingenia is available in 1.5T and 3.0T versions to accommodate varied imaging needs.

“Image quality is a top priority, but it is only part of practicing excellent medicine. There is increasing pressure to be as fully optimized as possible and in a busy hospital environment, there simply isn’t much time to worry about process optimization,’" said Hans-Peter Busch, M.D., director of radiology for Krankenhaus der Barmherzigen Brüder hospital in Trier, Germany. “The Ingenia MR system optimizes workflow by completely eliminating or reducing time consuming steps like coil and patient manipulation. Compounded over time, this makes a real difference in terms of efficiency – in addition to being more comfortable for the patient."

Flexible solution suits a wide variety of clinical applications, today and tomorrow

Ingenia’s increased performance provides a reliable, patient-friendly approach for oncology imaging, staging and treatment assessment. Ingenia brings whole body oncology staging and follow-up to the clinical mainstream by delivering fast and simple solutions allowing anatomical fusion with diffusion datasets for robust clinical results at both 1.5T and 3.0T.

Ingenia’s digital capabilities also overcome the scalability limitations typical of analog based systems. Similar to the transition from limited channel analog television to unlimited channel digital broadband HD television, the digital signal acquisition and transmission capability of Ingenia is independent of the number of channels. Unlike fixed channel analog systems, users can add new and future clinical applications, which may require higher channel coils, in an easy and cost-effective way.  In addition, if a higher channel coil is required for a clinical procedure, Ingenia’s channel independent architecture is capable of performing the exam without requiring expensive hardware and software upgrades to the MRI system. This gives hospitals the flexibility they need to stay on the clinical cutting edge, now and in the future.

“At Philips we believe that meaningful innovations start with the patient,” said Saragnese. “MR is continuing to expand its role with applications for every part of the body and the Ingenia system is taking the lead with smart, reliable tools for better image quality and shorter exam times, which can lead to increased diagnostic confidence and a simpler patient and clinician experience overall.”

If you didn't see The NFL Today prior to Thursday's first football game, check out this well done documentary on organ donation with my hospital system featured.  

Image Analysis Strategies for Challenging Biomedical Images using Definiens Developer XD™

Join us for a webinar:  Image Analysis Strategies for Challenging Biomedical Images using Definiens Developer XD™

Learn image analysis strategies from the pros at Definiens using Definiens Developer XD on the following examples:

• The Rolling Ball Method for Correcting Heterogeneous Backgrounds in Fluorescently Stained Golgi Cells
• Three Dimensional Analysis of Dendritic Spines
• Classifying Tumor vs. Non-Tumor and Tumor Morphology in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Speakers: 

Peter Duncan - Director, Marketing and Business Development
Dr. Thomas Mrowiec - Consultant, Professional Services
Dr. Florian Leiss - Trainer and Marketing Specialist

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Title: What’s new with Definiens Tissue Studio?
Date: Wednesday, November 17th, 2010
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM GMT

Register Here:
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/830873883

 

New in Definiens Tissue Studio 2.1:

? Fluorescence enhancements:
Support for 10–16 bit data
Visualization of colocalization per cell / per nucleus
Export of Pearsons/Manders correlation coefficient (for cells and nuclei)

? Bright field enhancements:
Intensity-based classifications
Option to use optical density instead of IHC marker density
Membrane Classification into three intensity classes
Marker Area Classification into four intensity classes

? Breast panel:
Her-2 scoring (DAKO and ASCO) on a cell-by-cell basis
Allred score

? Additional context features:
Distance of objects to region border, e.g. ‘Distance of 3+ cells to tumor border’.

Speakers:

Dr. Kai Hartmann – Product Manager, Definiens
Peter Duncan – Director, Marketing and Business Development, Translational Research, Definiens

Today I became aware of a company called MikroScan that is producing slide scanners.  Ironically, their website lists "Vista, CA",as home base of operations about 2 miles from another slide scanner company based in Vista, Aperio.

There are 4 videos on YouTube and a press release on their website announcing their first line of products designed to bring true desktop convenience and personal operation to the world of virtual microscopy. The press release claims they have the world’s most advanced personal desktop whole-slide imaging systems for extremely fast scanning and remote diagnostics in digital pathology.  Full press release below.

After some additional searching I also came across a company called Jenoptik, headquartered in Jena, Germany, home to Carl Zeiss, Inc. which manufactures high technology optics and digital imaging products and a press release mentionting its participations in digital pathology and virtual slide imaging with MikroScan Technologies of Vista, CA.

Is all of this purely coincidental or does anyone know about this company? 

On the surface, unusual marketing campaign to date but I like the footprint of the device.  This is getting closer to a device that can be placed on a pathologist's desk for immediate scanning and sharing of images assuming the quality is there.  I wonder what it costs. Full press releases below

Announcing the world’s most advanced personal desktop whole-slide imaging systems for extremely fast scanning and remote diagnostics in digital pathology

Vista, CA, November 2, 2010: California based whole slide imaging (WSI)manufacturer, MikroScan Technologies, announces their first line of products designed to bring true desktop convenience and personal operation to the world of virtual microscopy.

Digital imaging in the world of microscopy is evolving at a high rate. Digital pathology is becoming increasingly important in every laboratory and pathologists require rapid access to high-quality whole slide images for fast diagnosis, real-time consultations from anywhere in the world, as well as long-term preservation of digital samples with untold future benefits to medical research. MikroScan Technologies specializes in building whole-slide scanning solutions engineered specifically to meet these needs for pathologists, scientists, laboratories and other medical and industrial applications.

Bob Goerlitz, president of MikroScan Technologies, said, “We design our products with every pathologist, technician and researcher in mind. The D2, S2, and S8 are very easy to use, with a minimal learning curve and they integrate quickly and easily into any lab workflow. Our Image quality, speed of acquisition, software, and hardware capabilities exceed that of many other systems and at a fraction of their cost. Our game changing affordability and small footprint finally empowers every pathologist to scan slides from their very own desktops, and that’s something that has never been realistic until now.” Mr. Goerlitz continued, “Don’t let the small size and small price fool you, it’s an incredibly robust instrument with powerful computing and networking capabilities for anywhere-in-the-world collaboration of digital slides.”

MikroScan Product Line

MikroScan systems deliver high-quality, fast whole-slide imaging (WSI) scans for accurate on the spot, or remote diagnostic examination. The high-speed scanner delivers typical scan times of less than 2 minutes for 15x15 mm sample at 20x magnification. Acquired slide images are compatible with many leading third party image analysis, diagnostic and data management applications.

The MikroScan D2 desktop personal whole slide scanner is a complete turnkey solution, including a computer and Q-Skan scanning software. The D2 model includes a reversible easy loading paddle that holds up to four 25x75 mm slides or two 50x75 mm slides. With a small desktop footprint, low profile, and compact design, the D2 is ideal for any desk or laboratory workstation.

The company also offers dual-purpose integrated microscope systems for exceptional workflow flexibility. The MikroScan S2 holds two standard slides (25x75 mm) or one 50x75 mm slide and the MikroScan S8 holds up to eight standard slides for higher laboratory throughput. Integrated with industry-leading Carl Zeiss microscopes, the systems provide a complete turnkey solution that can operate as both a whole-slide scanner as well as high-end routine brightfield microscope and imaging platform. The microscopes are fully upgradable and capable of additional techniques including fluorescence, phase contrast, and interference contrast.

All MikroScan systems come equipped with a powerful computer and user-friendly Q-Skan slide scanning software pre-installed and configured. With automatic tissue detection, or optional manual tissue selection, and Auto Axis Array focusing, Q-Skan software user interface makes all MikroScan’s systems easy to use with minimal training required.

About MikroScan Technologies

MikroScan Technologies has been engaged in the design, sales, and marketing of high quality laboratory instruments for more than 26 years, and specialize in the development of cutting edge whole-slide imaging (WSI) systems designed for pathology, biology and research applications. With game changing technology and pricing, MikroScan products represent a leap in advancement and convenience in the evolution of WSI and digital pathology with the world's most flexible desktop personal whole-slide scanner. MikroScan centers its product development on three primary criteria: 1) Speed of slide image acquisition: necessary to make scanning technology practical in scientific investigation and clinical applications. 2) High quality slide images: necessary for accurate visual or digital diagnostics and or collaboration. 3) Affordability: unprecedented economics that allows scanners on anyone's desktop or lab workstation. For further information visit: Contact MikroScan

October 27, 2010 Virtual Imaging is a fast growing segment in microscopy, particularly in the area of digital pathology. Microscope slides of patient tissue are stained and loaded into Digital Slide Scanners where they are quickly scanned and the images captured by high resolution cameras. These images are then available for general viewing, diagnostic examination, and consultation. Virtual Slide Imaging allows efficient storage of slide images, eliminating the possibility of glass breakage as well as almost instant world wide access eliminating the possibility of loss in transit. Virtual Imaging is a supporting technology in the mandate for establishing the electronic patient medical record database. Jenoptik, through its Digital Imaging division, has partnered with MikroScan Technologies of Vista, California in designing and manufacturing high speed and high resolution imaging modules from its ProgRes camera line for a new generation of high speed scanners from MikroScan Technologies. These Digital Scanners are designed for single or multi slide use and are compatible with many image analysis, diagnostic and data management programs. Typical Slide scan times are under 2 minutes for 15mm x 15mm sample at 20x magnification. Models are currently available for brightfield scanning applications, with Fluorescence capabilities scheduled for introduction shortly. Scanners are competitively priced for multiple unit acquisition with minimal training and support requirements. About Jenoptik: Headquartered in Jena, Germany, the birthplace of modern optics, Jenoptik is a world leader in high technology optics and digital imaging products. The Progres line of digital cameras encompasses a broad line of devices including CMOS, Color, B/W, and high sensitivity cameras for scientific and Industrial use. Included within the offering are custom built OEM modules to meet a wide spectrum of application. E mail sales@jenoptik-inc.com for further information. About MikroScan Technologies: Located in Vista, Ca. MikroScan Technologies has been engaged in the design, sales and marketing of high quality instruments for the laboratory for more than 26 years. Identifying the need for high quality laboratory automation products at affordable prices, MikroScan Technologies enters the virtual image scanner market with game changing technology and pricing. For further information on MikroScan Technologies, info@mikroScan.com .

Pathology Visions 2010 Conference Proceedings are now online!

To access the proceedings, please visit the 2010 Proceedings page.

Conference dates for Pathology Visions, the Annual Meeting of the Digital Pathology Association (DPA), will be announced soon. Please check the conference website for 2011 updates.

For more information, visit the conference website
http://www.pathologyvisions.com

Drs. Friedman and Pool of Lab Soft News and The Daily Sign-Out recently published a paper entitled "Ten Important Lessons We Have Learned as Pathology Bloggers" in the Journal of Pathology Informatics.

My personal thanks to Bruce Friedman, Mark Pool and the editors of the journal for the opportunity.

Recently, the Journal of Pathology Informatics has started their own blog.  A look through a couple postings last month are worth reading -- "If LIS companies sold cars" and "Screens for Pathologists: Portrait vs. Landscape". The posts are written by Gaurav Sharma, from UPMC and an up and coming star in the field of pathology informatics.  In addition to his other duties he currently serves as junior editor for the journal.

Very interesting to see peer-reviewed articles about blogging and blogs as part of peer-reviewed journals.  

Welcome to Gaurav and appreciation to the editors of the journal, Dr. Liron Pantonowitz and Dr. Anil Parwani for their continued vision and insight in these endeavors for the pathology informatics community and the world.

Another example of Pathology 2.0!

About a year ago I mentioned Dr. Yale Rosen who posted some pulmonary pathology images on Flickr.

Dr. Rosen continues to post images to Flickr where you can now find his collection of more than 700 pulmonary pathology images and counting @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/pulmonary_pathology). There is an underscore.

The images are available for teaching and other non-commercial purposes in accordance with the CreativeCommons license. The collection is highly organized into sets and collections. For example, "Lung Neoplasms" is a collection and sets belonging to that collection include "Carcinomas", "Neuroendocrine Neoplasms", "Benign Neoplasms", "Mesenchymal Neoplasms", etc.

Each image is extensively annotated with keywords so that it is easy to search for and find whatever diagnosis and specimen type (gross, microscopic, cytology, X-ray, etc) that you might be searching for.

Dr. Rosen also maintains a website devoted to images of granulomatous diseases (http://www.granuloma.homestead.com). The images on that website mostly illustrate pulmonary pathology (sarcoidosis, tuberculosis,etc)

Many thanks to Dr. Rosen for an extensive collection of well cataloged pulmonary pathology images.

Almost as accurate and funny as "Surgeon vs. Pathologist". 

Over the years several colleagues including fellow pathologists and oncologists I have worked, as well as myself have been critical of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure (formerly known as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation).  

Speaking for myself I think it stems from the amount of funding put towards "breast cancer centers" that have cropped up in nearly every hospital in some capacity.  There may be a "oncology department" that sees cancer patients and then there is a "breast cancer center".  So folks with leukemia, lymphoma or colon, lung or prostate cancer go to one area of the hospital while breast cancer patients go to another.  Often times the waiting areas and exam rooms are modern, tranquil, well-appointed, even luxurious while the "other" waiting areas and clinical areas are reminiscent of typical clinic or physician office settings with older furniture, no overhead music, fountains, espresso machines or concierge services at check-in.  A recent Facebook post I caught tripped me to thinking about this again.

Admittedly, I was wrong for being critical of the degree of leadership shown by this cancer organization. Having relatives that have passed from gastric and pancreatic cancers, it would have been nice to see their care afforded a similar level of appreciation for what is usually mundane and cold but it doesn't make it wrong; there just hasn't been a single person as influential as motivating another individual to make this kind of change occur.

According to Wikipedia, Komen has invested over $1.5 billion for research, education and health services, making it the largest breast cancer charity in the world. Today, Komen has more than 100,000 volunteers working in a network of 125 affiliates worldwide.  

For the better part of the last century women's health issues were largely ignored.  That changed for breast cancer in 1982 when Komen's younger sister, Nancy Goodman Brinker, founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in Komen's memory.  Susan Goodman Komen was born on October 31, 1947 and was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30. She died three years later, in 1980. Komen's younger sister felt that Susan's outcome might have been better if patients knew more about cancer and its treatment, and remembering a promise to her sister that she would find a way to speed up breast cancer research

According to results of the Harris Interactive 2010 EquiTrend annual brand equity poll, Komen is one of the most trusted nonprofit organizations in America.

In recent years have been to baseball and football games where the leagues have supported their players wearing pink gloves and pink shoes and swinging pink bats.  T-shirts and bumper stickers with slogans like "Think Pink" and "Save the Tatas" and "Imagine the World Without Cancer" are prevalent. Hard to go a weekend in my town without a walk or run in support of breast cancer.  

A few weeks ago some former Mayo colleagues shaved their heads and beards after supporters met a challenge to raise $10000 in 2 weeks (video below).

Perhaps some day there will be a sister, brother, daughter, son, husband, wife or friend that will fight for their relative and spur similar interest in finding a cure for lung, stomach, pancreas, colon or prostate cancer.

Perhaps "Think Blue" or "Think Brown".  OK, need to think about this marketing a little bit but until cures are found perhaps more grassroots efforts will be spawned to battle these types of cancers and improve early detection and increase survival much like Nancy Goodman Brinker did for her sister. 

Kudos to the organization and their efforts!  You have inspired millions.

Several news outlets reported that Omnyx along with four clinical collaboration sites will begin validation of their digital pathology technology.  

Since its inception Omnyx has been focused on workflow, a key element to this technology being seen as enabling and leading to increased adoption, particularly in the clinical market.  Recently at Pathology Visions they discussed time motion studies performed looking at areas for improvement where digital pathology could enhance efficiencies and increase overall pathologist productivity.

           (Click to enlarge)

Interestingly, Michael J. Barber, VP of GE's healthymagination spoke at TEDMED2010 at Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego today and gather the news was discussed here while Pathology Visions 2010 was taking place 10 miles away. Mr. Barber's bio on the TEDMED2010 site mentions GE Healthcare's revenue totals over $17B and the company spends more than $1B on R&D annually. Dr. Sylvia Asa, mentioned in the press release also presented the keynote address at Pathology Visions.

MedPage Today (10/24, Walsh) reported, "The fact that men carry the genetic BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations associated with high risks of breast and ovarian cancers and can transmit the mutations to their children is under-recognized," according to a Canadian paper in The Lancet Oncology. "Many women are unaware of the importance of a history of these cancers in their father's side of the family, and are therefore unlikely to tell their primary care providers about it -- which means they may not be given referrals for genetic testing and preventive treatments." In fact, "patients were five times more likely to have been referred to a familial breast and ovarian cancer clinic if family history of the disease was on their mother's side." BBC News (10/25) also covers the study.

Attending Pathology Visions this week.  It is incredible what this meeting has become from 4 or 5 years ago. Continues to grow and strong support from industry collaborators.  Dr. Sylvia Asa from University of Toronto in midst of keynote.  A true visionary. Computer assisted diagnostics is "train coming down the track".  I completely agree. Mitoses, margins assessments, proliferation indices, FISH, hematology, etc...

Nature also seems to coincide with this meeting.  One year was wildfires.  This year it is raining.  Still great location.

This morning it was announced that GE will buy Clarient. 

With the way mergers and acquisitions are going in the lab industry and heathcare pretty soon everything from the original stethoscope examination to your imaging studies (both radiology and pathology) to your molecular diagnostics to the pill or immunotherapy used to treat the condition will be provided by some conglomerate of a half a dozen companies -- GE, Siemens, Roche, Philips, etc...

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General Electric Co. has agreed to acquire Clarient Inc. for about $587 million as the conglomerate looks to build its disease-diagnosis capability.

Clarient provides molecular diagnostics technologies, which provides precise information about a patient's cancer to help doctors decide on the best treatment. Global demand for cancer-profiling products and services are expected to at least triple to about $47 billion over the next five years.

Clarient's revenue has been growing at compounded annual rate of 68% since 2005, reaching $91.6 million in 2009. Clarient swung to a second-quarter profit as revenue improved 21%, reversing a string of losses. Third-quarter results are due Nov. 1.

"Adding Clarient's leading technology to our portfolio will accelerate our expansion into cancer diagnostics and therapy selection tools, while strongly enhancing our current diagnostic and life sciences offerings," said GE Healthcare President and Chief Executive John Dineen in prepared comments.

The GE unit hopes to be able to grow a $1 billion business in diagnostic solutions for cancer and other diseases.

Under the agreement, GE will purchase Clarient's common and preferred stock at $5 and $20 each, respectively. Clarient's common shares closed Thursday at $3.74; they have doubled since March.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a note about a lawsuit involving Mayo Clinic that now involves the Justice Department for alleged fraudulent billing practices @ Mayo Clinic among other allegations (see: Suit Alleges Mayo Overbilled for Pathology Services, Justice Department Joins Suit) in response to inquiring minds on the matter.  

Again, I only know what is being report largely from a story in a Pittsburgh newspaper.  One part of the suit alleges that Mayo failed to comply with federal regulations that require clinical lab to retain pathology slides for 10 years.

As far as I know slides produced at Mayo (sans consult slides returned to contributors) were retained indefinitely.  I do not know what period of time the suit covers about slides not being retained.  

For the sake of argument, I presume the neurologist and attorney, David Ketroser, has some grounds for the lawsuit.  

Given the technical nature of the frozen section process I wrote about previously and the fact that water based stains without permanent cover slips do not make for easy storage or subsequent review, how could this situation have been mitigated?

These types of slides I think are a perfect application for whole slide imaging.  We could argue whether doing so, that is capturing a reproduction of the slide as a digital image qualifies for "slides retained" per College of American Pathologist guidelines but this provides a basis for the discussion.

• Example of frozen section slide stained with toluidine blue showing cholangiocarcinoma with perineural invasion.

If the alternative is not being able to either retain or accurately review the slides when necessary years later, a digital replicate of the slide itself may be the next best solution.  As is commonly agreed within the digital pathology market, the images are consistent, persistent and efficient.  The slide and hence any images viewed from it are as close to the "real thing" as the original glass slide at time of frozen section.  

Critics will argue of course of the need to scan every frozen section without knowing which ones may become important years later.  And retaining those images for a period of 10 years.  During the 10 years the volumes and number of slides produced may increase in a given lab, further compounding the storage solution. Fortunately, immediate availability would likely not be a requirement so hosted storage or disk backup may suffice.  There would have to be a mutual understanding with the CAP that this meets the regulation.  For that to occur, adoption has to become more widespread and the practice validated. 

Nonetheless, in cases such as frozen sections, clinical microbiology examinations and rare event type detections (i.e. AFB smears with rare organisms, malaria smears), fluorescent preparations and where material may be limited (i.e. cytology slide with rare malignant cells or 1 diagnostic slide without corresponding tissue in block or slide form), a digital reproduction, vis-a-vis, a whole slide image may be as appropriate for subsequent review when necessary.

• Example of blood smear with malaria

Quantitative image analysis and data mining application will provide decision support for clinical oncologists 

Munich, Germany / Parsippany, New Jersey – October 21, 2010 – Definiens, the number one Health Image Intelligence® company, today announced that it is developing a new software application to support the clinical diagnosis of breast cancer. This project is part of the company’s Health Image Intelligence initiative, in which it focuses on clinical applications that provide physicians with treatment recommendations, in this case based on detailed characteristics of tumor cells. The development is funded by the “KMU-innovativ” initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. 

Automated image analysis of tissue structures and meaningful data aggregation can enhance physicians’ understanding of breast cancer by providing insight into functional and molecular genetic characterization of malignant tumors. The new clinical application will contain an image analysis-based evaluation algorithm which comprises scoring results from hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining; estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), KI67 and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) immunohistochemistry (IHC). HER2 silver in-situ hybridization (SISH) will be provided as an additional option. 

“There is a growing need among pathologists and clinicians for accurate biomarker quantification tools that can support treatment decisions,” said Oliver Lehner, Vice President Clinical Solution Business at Definiens. “We started the project to provide doctors with accuracy and speed, an intuitive interface and efficient workflows they can easily integrate into their routines. Working closely with our clinical partner Charité Berlin, we expect this software application to help doctors treat breast cancer more successfully and avoid pursuing ineffective therapies.” 

Definiens will work on digital slides obtained from patient samples provided by Prof. Dr. Manfred Dietel, Director of the Institute of Pathology, Charité Berlin. The system will perform a detailed assessment of cell morphology and biomarker expressions on a cell-by-cell basis. Prof. Dr. Dietel’s team will provide pathology expertise to be integrated into the Definiens software, enabling the computer to extract relevant patterns and scores from the images. 

“A close collaboration between research and clinical disciplines enables physicians to draw upon new findings in functional molecular pathology when recommending treatment,” said Prof. Dr. Dietel. “Image analysis of breast cancer tissue structure and biomarker expression is a promising technology, and I am proud to be applying our findings to an objective approach to patient treatment.” 

The Definiens application will provide the attending physician with a comprehensive and objective basis on which to recommend the most promising treatment. The software will be integrated into the clinical infrastructure by means of modular interfaces and offer a web-based graphical user interface that provides quick access to all relevant diagnostic information. It will have both in-clinic and telemedicine applications to support physician treatment decisions regardless of physical location. 

About Definiens 
Definiens is the number one Health Image Intelligence company for analyzing and interpreting images on every scale – from microscopic cell structures to full body scans. The Definiens Cognition Network Technology®, developed by Nobel laureate Prof. Gerd Binnig and his team, is an advanced and robust context-based technology designed to fulfill the image analysis requirements of the Healthcare markets. It is modeled on the powerful human cognitive perception processes to extract intelligence from images. 

Definiens supports biopharmaceutical companies, clinical service organizations, and academic research institutions by automating image analysis - from drug discovery to diagnostics. The company’s image analysis software enables the interpretation of vast numbers of digital images accurately and consistently. Definiens software for digital pathology and radiology images reveals biologically relevant insights for the advancement of translational research and personalized medicine. Definiens provides organizations with faster image analysis results, allowing deeper insights enabling better business decisions. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and has offices throughout the United States. Further information is available at: http://www.definiens.com

Definiens, Definiens Cognition Network Technology, Definiens Cellenger, Definiens Tissue Studio, Definiens LymphExpert, Enterprise Image Intelligence and Understanding Images are trademarks or registered trademarks of Definiens.