The National Pathology Imaging Co-operative has been driving towards a fully digital approach as well as paving the way for other laboratories to follow in their footsteps. Pathology in Practice looks at the role played by Leica Biosystems and the technological improvements offered by its equipment.
The National Pathology Imaging Co-operative – known as NPIC – has become the epicentre of one of the most forward-looking digital pathology services across Europe, not just in the UK. It is a Co-operative of NHS trusts, academic institutions and industry partners, including Leica Biosystems, and was appointed in 2018 as one of the five UK Research and Innovation Centres of Excellence in digital imaging and artificial intelligence (AI).
The NPIC laboratories are already some of the most technologically advanced and interconnected in the world. Long-term, the NPIC project will encompass 200 pathologists, generating almost 10,000 whole slide images per day. For this scale of operation, it was decided that digitised whole slide images were needed. Hence, next-generation, high-throughput Aperio GT 450 DX scanners, from Leica Biosystems, were deployed.
Clinical digital pathology is still a relatively novel field, and the deployment and integration of a digital pathology system represents a major departure from standard laboratory operating procedures. While continuing its drive towards full digitisation in its own network, NPIC will be offering guidance to other laboratories across the UK and internationally to support their journey towards digitising services.
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