Summary: Clarapath, a medical robotics company, partnered with Mayo Clinic to advance laboratory automation in pathology, which aims to address challenges like labor shortages and the increasing volume of tissue specimens in pathology labs.
Takeaways:
- Clarapath’s SectionStar system automates the preparation of tissue specimens for pathological review, standardizing slide outputs and introducing quantitative quality metrics. This automation reduces human error and speeds up the processing of samples, which is crucial for timely cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- By combining Clarapath’s automation technology with Mayo Clinic’s clinical expertise, the partnership is poised to transform histology processes globally, according to the organizations.
- The collaboration also focuses on further innovation in histopathology, suggesting a deep, ongoing commitment to redefining laboratory operations and leveraging digital pathology and AI for better patient outcomes.
Clarapath, a medical robotics company helping pathology laboratories process tissue, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Mayo Clinic to propel a new era of laboratory automation, according to the company.
Impact of Lab Automation
For decades, laboratories have relied on labor intensive, manual procedures to process tissue specimens for purposes of diagnosing cancer and other diseases. Faced with labor shortages, quality control challenges, and the rapidly increasing volume of samples, laboratories need to innovate and improve the reliability and efficiency of creating glass slides for pathological review.
Utilizing the SectionStar Automation System
Clarapath’s SectionStar is an automated tissue sectioning, transfer, and quality control system that combines robotics, computational AI, and integrated histopathology workflows, resulting in standardized slide outputs and quantitative quality metrics. This can significantly accelerate sample processing and reduce human involvement and errors.
The strategic collaboration combines Clarapath’s tissue solution and domain experts with the clinical insights and expertise of Mayo Clinic. This will enable laboratories across the globe to digitally transform the quality, safety, cost, and throughput of their histology process. The automation supports more informed and faster decisions that help improve the delivery and quality of patient care and allow existing laboratory personnel to successfully handle rising case volumes. Additionally, the companies will collaborate to develop new solutions to further improve the histopathology laboratory.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Mayo Clinic to advance the modernization of anatomic pathology,” says Eric Feinstein, CEO of Clarapath. “Laboratories, like manufacturing plants, need constant innovation and modernization. With SectionStar, leaders can now reimagine the histology process to keep up with increasing caseloads and shrinking workforces. This will help patients get quicker test results and more immediate access to care.”
Further reading: Kevin the Robot or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Lab Automation
Additional Involvement from Mayo Clinic
As part of the collaboration, Joaquín García, MD, chair of the division of Anatomic Pathology within the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology and chair of Mayo Clinic’s Digital Pathology Program, is joining the Clarapath Board of Directors. Mayo Clinic joins other leading organizations as Clarapath stakeholders.
“Mayo Clinic is at the leading edge of technological advancement in anatomic pathology. Incorporating digital pathology and artificial intelligence into our current practice has highlighted the need for standardizing pre-analytic processes,” says García. “By working with Clarapath, we are building the foundation for a ‘lab of the future’ that incorporates end-to-end automation, robotics, and AI to the patient tissue lifecycle.”
Mayo Clinic has a financial interest in the technology referenced in this press release. Mayo Clinic will use any revenue it receives to support its not-for-profit mission in patient care, education, and research.
