Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is working together with Royal Phillips, a leading health technology company, to establish the Digital and Computational Pathology Center of Excellence. The SGH Center of Excellence aims to advance pathology practice by implementing a fully digital histopathology workflow and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) to increase productivity and enhance patient care.
The Center will be located within SGH’s Division of Pathology, one of the largest pathology laboratories in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). It aims to establish ASEAN’s first fully digitized histopathology laboratory by expanding its digital pathology capabilities for primary diagnosis, training, and R&D using the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution.
The Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution enables pathologists to review and interpret digital images of surgical pathology slides prepared from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. This technology replaces the need for traditional glass slides to be viewed under a microscope and facilitates referencing and storage. The digital images also allow the application of computer-aided image analysis with AI.
A recent study, conducted by SGH and Philips, revealed that full digitization of SGH’s histopathology laboratory with the Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution could save over 12,000 hours every year. Through the optimization of digital pathology, Singapore General Hospital will also further its research activities in AI. AI-based tools can help pathologists diagnose diseases such as cancer, which is the leading cause of mortality in Singapore, and empower them to face the current challenges in pathology.
(Sources: SingHealth Group; BioSpectrum Asia)
