GLOSTRUP, Denmark & PITTSBURGH, Jun 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Dako, a Danish-based world leader in tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and Omnyx, a leader in digital pathology solutions, announced today that they have entered into a three-year agreement to develop clinical algorithms for digital pathology. The aim is to support pathologists in generating even more accurate, objective and reproducible diagnostic results.

Under the agreement, Dako will utilize its expertise in staining and image analysis to develop image analysis algorithms that will be incorporated into the Omnyx digital pathology platform as part of Omnyx's overall strategy of providing pathologists with a comprehensive digital work environment. The algorithms developed under the agreement will be specifically optimized for Dako's breast cancer panel of immunohistochemical and in-situ hybridization tests.

"Digital pathology offers significant potential to improve the quality of cancer diagnosis by improving the consistency of test interpretation. The Omnyx/Dako partnership will help standardize the reagent-to-result process and enhance the ability of pathologists to interpret breast cancer tests," says Mike Becich, vice chair of Pathology Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh.

Immunohistochemical and in-situ hybridization tests are widely used by pathologists worldwide to help determine the diagnosis and prognosis and predict patients' response to specific therapies for a large number of cancers, including breast cancer. Digital pathology is enabled by imaging systems and computer technology that allow for the digitization of glass slides and efficient management of the resulting image data. It enables pathologists to improve productivity by reviewing tissue sections without handling traditional glass slides and to interpret tissue-based test results more objectively with the help of image analysis algorithms. Digital pathology also holds tremendous potential for standardizing test interpretation and for improving accuracy in cancer diagnostics.

"Dako is committed to improving patient care by finding ways to further enhance the standards and accuracy in cancer diagnostics," said Lars Holmkvist, CEO of Dako. "This agreement with Omnyx is another important step in the implementation of our strategy by joining forces with strong digital pathology partners. Digital pathology is important as it offers great potential to improve the quality of cancer diagnosis and care by helping standardize test interpretation to the benefit of pathologists and their patients."

"Omnyx sees a future where algorithms help pathologists make better clinical decisions," said Gene Cartwright, CEO of Omnyx. "Our partnership with Dako will allow us to provide reliable, high-performance IHC algorithms to clinicians who use Dako tests. Enabling algorithms within the context of a complete digital workflow environment provides pathologists with a powerful set of tools to improve both confidence and efficiency."

About Immunohistochemistry

Immunohistochemistry refers to the process of localizing antigens (e.g. proteins) in cells of a tissue section exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens in biological tissues. Immunohistochemical staining is widely used in the diagnosis of abnormal cells such as those found in cancerous tumors.

About Dako

Dako, based in Denmark, is a global leader in tissue-based cancer diagnostics. Hospital and research laboratories worldwide use Dako's know-how, reagents, instruments and software to make precise diagnoses and determine the most effective treatment for patients suffering from cancer. Employing more than 1000 persons and operating in more than 70 countries, Dako covers essentially all of the global anatomic pathology markets.

About Omnyx

Omnyx, LLC is a joint venture of GE Healthcare and The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center with locations in Pittsburgh and Piscataway, NJ. The company is developing an enterprise platform to transform the scope of pathology to an all-digital workflow. The company will sell their digital pathology platform to clinical labs and offer an enterprise software platform for image management, workflow automation, image analysis algorithms and system integration along with its high speed whole-slide scanners. Close collaboration with pathologists at UPMC and other institutions along with their relationship with GE Healthcare allows Omnyx to focus its innovation on the needs of anatomic pathologists worldwide. Omnyx digital pathology products are currently in development and have not yet been cleared by the FDA.

SOURCE: Omnyx, LLC