FFEI, Hemel Hempstead, UK, has launched its Sierra Validate & Standardise (VS) Analyser. An addition to its patented Sierra color calibration technology portfolio, the Sierra VS-Analyser enables digital pathologists, toxicologic specialists, QA technicians, and software developers to make informed decisions on the digital pathology equipment and related workflow utilized.
For organizations and professionals in the fields of digital pathology and pharmaceutical development, adhering to process control for quality and regulatory purposes is paramount. They are increasingly reliant on Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) devices for accurate diagnosis and multi-location drug toxicologic pathology.
With such a wide range of scanning devices on the market, one of the most common issues users need to address is the variation in color that different devices can create. Often viewed as a “blackbox,” WSI devices have many aspects that can affect their ability to output images that represent “ground-truth color.” Having the ability to measure and understand these characteristics becomes essential when good process control is needed.
The Sierra VS-Analyser package consists of a validation and analysis software tool that accompanies a Sierra Calibration Slide, providing a ground-truth pathology color reference with tissue scanning characteristics. The analysis tool validates the color reproducibility of a digital pathology scanner for a wide range of common and special stains and reveals the degree of standardization across a portfolio of scanning devices. This enables a full appreciation of any variances from ground-truth histological color that are inherited by current non-standardized tissue images.
“With many laboratories moving into digital imaging, it is essential that users understand the colour performance of their imaging devices to ensure quality decisions can be made either by humans or artificial intelligence,” says Andy Cook, CEO at FFEI. “For pathologists and data scientists alike, it’s often critical to confirm that the digital images produced are truly representative of the real tissue slide. Sierra VS-Analyser helps to answer these questions.”
FFEI is launching the new Sierra VS-Analyser product at the Digital Pathology & AI congress in December, where Rick Salmon, Business Development Lead – Life Science Technologies, will be presenting on the subject of “The Impact of Validating and Standardising Ground-truth Colour for WSI.”
For more information, visit http://www.ffei.ai
Featured image: Sierra Validate & Standardise Analyser is a digital color validation tool for digital pathology scanning devices identifies the variances between the digital colors produced and actual ground-truth color. (Courtesy: FFEI)
