The Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, Erlangen, Germany, has developed iStix, a scanning system that combines image processing software and a camera to enable area scans with a user’s own microscope.
An alternative to digital slide scanners, iStix is a software solution for generating large-area scans using a manual microscope and a camera. An automated image processing method stitches individual microscopy images together in real time based on the image contents—without the need for a motorized stage. During the stitching process, the images are correctly placed to create a panoramic image, known as a whole-slide dataset.
The software can be integrated into existing applications or pathology and laboratory information systems. The system can be easily combined with any microscope that has a camera attached.
The iStix software is not yet certified as a medical product. For this purpose, Fraunhofer is currently looking for additional partners to evaluate iStix within the scope of a pilot study.
