What You Should Know:
– Labcorp, a global leader in laboratory services, has announced a collaboration with Roche to implement the company’s FDA-cleared VENTANA® DP 600 and DP 200 slide scanners.
– The investment is a major step in Labcorp’s digital transformation initiative, enabling pathologists to diagnose patients using high-resolution digital images and supporting future integration of artificial intelligence (AI).
Addressing the Pathology Workforce Crisis
This initiative comes at a critical time, as the field of pathology faces significant challenges. The U.S. is projected to face a shortage of nearly 5,700 pathologists by 2030. This shortage is compounded by rising demand for diagnostic services due to an aging population and the increasing incidence of cancer and other diseases.
Key Benefits of Digital Pathology Workflow
The digital pathology workflow converts traditional glass slides into high-resolution digital images that can be viewed, analyzed, and shared from any location using a conventional PC workstation. Eliminating the reliance on physical slides offers several benefits:
- Improved Access to Expertise: Enables remote sharing of digital slides, allowing for rapid consultations with specialists regardless of location.
- Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlines workflows by removing the need to handle, transport, or retrieve physical slides.
- Reduced Cost and Risk: Digital storage eliminates transit costs and minimizes the risk of slide damage or loss of irreplaceable tissue samples.
- AI Integration: Establishes the necessary foundation for AI tools, which can further improve consistency, accuracy, and efficiency in pathology workflows.
Building on Existing Commitments
This collaboration builds on Labcorp’s existing relationship with Roche and its digital pathology portfolio for the company’s Oncology business. Labcorp teams already use digital pathology technology globally to support clinical trials, enabling more efficient data sharing, centralized review, and faster decision-making.
“We look forward to expanding our collaboration with Labcorp to advance the digital transformation of their pathology labs,” said Michael Rivers, life cycle leader for digital pathology at Roche Tissue Diagnostics. “This collaboration, which combines Labcorp’s strength in diagnostic services with Roche’s expertise in digital pathology solutions, holds the potential to create new opportunities for highly efficient, timely and effective patient care.”
