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Delivering world-class diagnostics and exceptional patient outcomes locally.
Thanks to a unique partnership with Huron Digital Pathology, fueled by a $1M gift from The Savvas Chamberlain Family Foundation and further supported by OBIO®, Waterloo Regional Health Network officially celebrated the launch of the Digital Pathology program at a donor event on January 7.
Through their commitment to supporting Canadian innovation, Waterloo Regional Health Network is driving advancements in healthcare with the adoption of digital pathology. This new solution will be instrumental in enhancing diagnostic accuracy and improving patient outcomes by leveraging state-of-the-art digital technology in pathology.
Digital Pathology introduces the digitization of pathology slides, enabling pathologists to examine and share high-resolution images of tissue samples remotely. This not only increases efficiency but also opens doors for collaboration between medical professionals across the globe, leading to more accurate diagnoses and improved treatment plans for patients.
“This technology will allow for more accurate and timely diagnosis ensuring an efficient and patient focused healthcare experience.”
“Pathology can be described as the bridge between basic science and clinical practice, central to the understanding of disease,” explains Renee Giroux, Administrative Director of Laboratory Services at Waterloo Regional Health Network. “Digital Pathology can change the delivery and speed of diagnosis and prognosis for patients across the healthcare system. The information retrieved from the analysis of patient specimens enables Pathologists to be information specialists. This technology will allow for more accurate and timely diagnosis ensuring an efficient and patient focused healthcare experience.”
The Hospitals began exploring the use of Digital Pathology in 2022 through an evaluation project supported by OBIO’s Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™) program. The evaluation focused on integrating Huron Digital’s system with the Hospital’s existing pathology system and conducting a retrospective study to compare digital image diagnoses with traditional microscope-based methods for accuracy and reliability. Following the successful evaluation, OBIO’s Life Sciences Critical Technologies & Commercialization (LSCTC) Centre of Excellence provided support to Grand River for a successful implementation and adoption of the technology in the clinical setting.
Located in St. Jacobs, ON Huron Digital Pathology is on a mission to transform glass slides into shareable knowledge. Its Scan, Organize, and Analyze solution for pathology combines award-winning whole slide imaging hardware with powerful image search technology to connect pathologists, researchers and educators with the expertise of their colleagues to help speed up diagnosis and accelerate disease research.
“Together, we are building a connected network of hospitals and advancing the future of pathology through innovative technology.”
“We are thrilled with the success of our pilot project with Waterloo Regional Health Network and proud to be their partner of choice in this transformative journey,” says Audil Virk, President, Huron Digital Pathology. “As more hospitals across Ontario and Canada join this initiative, we look forward to supporting the industry’s transition to digital solutions. Together, we are building a connected network of hospitals and advancing the future of pathology through innovative technology. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the evolution of digital pathology in Canada.”
Waterloo Regional Health Network piloted the use of the TissueScope iQ scanner with smart features, which can rapidly scan up to 400 standard pathology slides or 200 double-wide slides. Once scanned, SlideVault, an image management system, indexes the digitized slide images, making them accessible to pathologists through a web browser and tools for viewing and managing the images.
“The Huron Digital solution provides tools that enable pathologists to analyze and interpret tissue samples with unparalleled precision, facilitating faster diagnoses and more personalized treatment options for patients,” says Carla Girolametto, Director Research Operations, WRHN. “Through our commitment to supporting Canadian innovation, we are proud to advance healthcare solutions that will have a lasting impact. We are also grateful for the support from OBIO®, which has been instrumental in helping us achieve this milestone in healthcare innovation.”
“We believe in the transformative power of digital technology and investing in local innovation to shape the future of healthcare here in Waterloo and beyond,” say Savvas and Christine Chamberlain. “Supporting local healthcare through the Digital Pathology Lab, is an investment in the advancement of medical science and the well-being of countless individuals who will benefit from this innovative research.”
“We believe in the transformative power of digital technology and investing in local innovation to shape the future of healthcare here in Waterloo and beyond.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Savvas and Christine Chamberlain for their remarkable generosity, and to OBIO® for their support of bringing Digital Pathology to our Hospitals,” says Dr. Dimitrios Divaris, Medical Director, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, WRHN. “We’re excited to be moving to Digital Pathology outside of the research space and into clinical practices, connecting pathologists throughout Waterloo-Wellington and extending to experts around the world, ensuring world-class care at home for our patients. This donation will revolutionize how we conduct pathology research, enabling us to better understand diseases, accelerate medical breakthroughs, and provide the highest quality care to our patients. The Digital Pathology Lab represents the future of medicine, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this innovation.”
“OBIO® is delighted to be a catalyst for the adoption of digital pathology solutions that can revolutionize research and diagnostics, which is being supported by OBIO’s Life Sciences Critical Technologies & Commercialization (LSCTC) Centre of Excellence after a successful evaluation was completed through the Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™) program,” says Dr. Maura Campbell, President and CEO of OBIO®. “This collaboration with Huron Digital Pathology and Waterloo Regional Health Network is another great example of OBIO® driving the adoption of cutting-edge Canadian technologies in our healthcare systems, ultimately improving efficiency and patient care. It is great to see that the Savvas Chamberlain Family Foundation is recognizing the value of Huron’s platform as demonstrated through the OBIO-facilitated evaluation.”
The Pathology team at WRHN is excited about the opportunities the Digital Pathology Lab brings to enhance diagnostics, advance medical research, and improve healthcare outcomes for patients in our region and globally.
