Optiscan Imaging (ASX: OIL) has launched a next-generation medical imaging microscope, dubbed InForm, designed to speed up and improve pathology testing by using real-time, on-the-spot digital imaging of tissue samples.
The company says its latest innovation brings digital technology into the pathology industry for the first time to address long-standing inefficiencies in laboratory medicine and improve diagnostic precision at the point of care.
Established pathology processes, which play a critical part in up to 70 per cent of all clinical decisions, often rely on labour-intensive slide preparation and lengthy interpretation leading to bottlenecks in diagnosis.
Optiscan’s InForm offering, on the other hand, removes these hurdles by offering real-time imaging, high-resolution digital microscopy and cloud integration, significantly reducing the turnaround times and costs associated with current methods.
As a rapidly evolving sector, the global pathology market is forecast to grow 75pc and reach an eye-watering US$53.27 billion (A$83.8b) by 2031.
Optiscan’s new product appears to offer a smart solution to the urgent need to futureproof the medical sector by speeding up diagnostics and improving its efficiency.
The reveal of our revolutionary InForm device represents a significant advancement in the evolution of digital pathology. From bedside to laboratory and beyond, it enhances the speed, accuracy and flexibility of diagnostics.
Optiscan’s CEO and Managing Director Dr Camile Farah
Optiscan has a long history of innovation in confocal endomicroscopy – a technology that uses a laser to create high-resolution images of the gut. InForm is a natural progression of the company’s proprietorial portfolio, which also includes similar devices for detecting breast cancer and gut disease and precision surgery. It also has applications in the veterinary market.
Unlike conventional microscopes, the InForm tool offers up to 1000 times real magnification, compared to the 40-100 times magnification of traditional light microscopes and does not require the use of consumables, beyond a topical dye.
Using InForm in an operating theatre, hospital, clinic or laboratory, pathologists can now get instant high-quality digital images for faster triaging and sample assessments and quicker and improved diagnoses.
Optiscan says InForm’s ability to integrate with hospital and laboratory archiving systems, in line with international standards, is one of its most powerful features. Combined with Optiscan’s cloud-based telepathology streaming platform, real-time digital images can be stored digitally and accessed instantly.
The pathology sector has been behind the radiology sector in going digital. As with digital CAT and MRI scans, InForm will enable remote diagnostics and expert consultations to occur in real time - bridging any geographical gaps and bringing top-tier pathology expertise wherever it is needed.
A little further down the road and as global healthcare systems shift towards automation and AI-driven diagnostics, companies that provide digital pathology solutions, such as Optiscan, should be in the box seat to grab a significant slice of the market.
With the launch of InForm, Optiscan appears poised to disrupt a century-old industry, offering solutions that marry up the growing demand for precision medicine with AI-driven digital diagnostics.
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