Singapore: GE Healthcare announced today that its Omnyx(TM) Integrated Digital Pathology solution will be the virtual microscopy system for one of two educational seminars, the inaugural Hematolymphoid Course at the Department of Pathology, Singapore General Hospital. Instead of reviewing cases using traditional optical microscopes, over 60 pathologists from throughout Asia and beyond will use GE’s all-digital pathology solution during the Hematolymphoid educational workshop to review 40 cases encompassing more than 500 digital slide images.

Dr. Tan Soo Yong, Senior Consultant, Department of Pathology Singapore General Hospital and Hematolymphoid course Director, said, “Diagnosis in haematopathology requires examination of immunostained sections. This poses a big challenge for postgraduate medical education as it is difficult to provide sufficient material for all participants. We have been able to save money and greatly expand participation in our Hematolymphoid seminar since digital microscopy eliminates the cost of creating 9,000 physical slides and makes viewing pathology images much more accessible than a microscope could.”

Omnyx(TM) VL4 Whole Slide Scanner created the 500 digital slide images used for the conference and participants will use 18 Omnyx(TM) Pathologist Workstations to organize and review them.

“We are pleased to partner with Singapore General Hospital as part of our sponsorship of its inaugural Hematolymphoid & 2nd Breast Pathology Course. The benefits of integrated digital pathology extend far beyond education. The Omnyx Integrated Digital Pathology system is designed to increase access to sub-specialist care, greatly increase pathologist productivity, and reduce read-time, particularly in remote locations,” said John Chee, General Manager of GE Healthcare IT, Asia Pacific.

Omnyx’s breakthrough technology extends beyond slide digitization and includes an enterprise software solution to enable pathology departments to improve access to pathologists regardless of where a patient or specialist is located. This results in improved turnaround times and greater collaboration among specialists.

“The Omnyx Integrated Digital Pathology solution was designed by pathologists, for pathologists and built from the ground up with help from a global team of collaborators with the overall goal of digitizing the pathologist’s process with intuitive and efficient solutions. We are looking forward to the reaction of pathologists attending the two seminars on the Omnyx Integrated Digital Pathology solution and image quality,” said Rajiv Enand, Sr. Vice President of Business Development, Omnyx.

Omnyx’s complete product line will include scanners, workstations, algorithms, servers, and digital archives for storage. The Omnyx Integrated Digital Pathology solution is designed to integrate what are often stand-alone products into a comprehensive platform. It combines high speed, high quality whole slide scanning with scalable information technology products to create a solution that addresses the reliability and process requirements of pathologists and enables single and multi-site organizations to benefit from increased efficiencies and greater access to peers in the field.

By digitizing the slides and corresponding workflow, the Omnyx solution is intended to do what a traditional microscope cannot – unite an entire pathology department and improve collaboration, communication and efficiency.