Under The Scope: The Digital Drive in Pathology & A Future Assisted by AI

Welcome to #UndertheScope🔬, Gilbert Meher | Science's monthly newsletter designed to bring communities together in Science.

In this issue, we will take a closer look at #DigitalPathology to understand how digital technologies are redefining pathology. We spoke with Dr. Aleks 🔬 Żuraw, CEO of Digital Pathology Place, who has embraced the digital era to enhance diagnostics and research while bridging the gap between pathology and image analysis with educational content, along with Donal O'Shea, CEO of Deciphex - a Digital Pathology and #AI Company, with his insight of the technology that empowers digital pathology. 

#DigitalPathology involves the acquisition, management, sharing, and interpretation of pathology information through a digital environment. Glass slides are converted into high-resolution digital images through scanning devices. These digital slides can then be viewed, analysed, and shared across digital platforms, enabling pathologists to examine samples on computer screens or mobile devices with clarity and flexibility.

🔬 Traditional Pathology x 🌐 Digital Pathology

The true power of digital pathology lies in its ability to erase the physical barriers that once confined us. We've transitioned from worrying about the physical limitations and degradation of slides to having every detail preserved and instantly accessible. - Dr. Aleks 🔬 Żuraw

The shift from traditional microscopic analysis to digital examination enables a more efficient, accurate, and collaborative approach to pathology - not only streamlining the process but also opening more possibilities for research and education: 

One of the challenges to pathology is the global shortage of pathologists, combined with the increasing volume and complexity of testing. Digital pathology addresses these issues head-on, connecting the global pathologist network and improving the quality and productivity of diagnostics assisted by AI. - Donal O'Shea

• 🚀 Improved Efficiency: The digitisation of slides streamlines the workflow, allowing for quicker review, diagnosis, and case-sharing processes.
• 💡 Higher Quality Diagnostics: High-resolution digital images provide detailed views of samples, allowing more accurate and comprehensive analyses. Digital images do not degrade over time, ensuring long-term preservation.
• 💻 Enhanced Accessibility and Collaboration: Remote access to digital slides enables pathologists to view, diagnose, and collaborate globally, breaking down geographical barriers.
• 📚 Educational Resources: Digital libraries of slides will become invaluable resources for training the next generation of pathologists.
• 🤖 Integration of Artificial Intelligence: Digitalised slides set the scene for the use of artificial intelligence which will help bring advances to pathology, especially image analysis - automated pattern recognition and anomaly detection.
• 🌱 Cost-effectiveness: Over time, digital pathology can reduce costs associated with slide storage, transportation, and the need for physical space while also contributing to a more #sustainable future in Pathology. 

🤖 AI x 🖥️ Digital Pathology

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (#AI) in digital pathology promises to further enhance diagnostic precision and efficiency.

According to Donal O'Shea, within Pathology, AI can:

• Improve the quality of interpretation in difficult cases, contributing to better diagnostic decisions and patient outcomes;
• Be leveraged by pathologists to aggregate data quicker, especially when facing large amounts of requests, thus boosting their productivity;
• Enhance safety in pathology and diagnosis by implementing AI solutions to facilitate internal quality assurance and reduce mistakes.

AI is an important addition to pathology within both clinical diagnostics and life sciences research, with the potential to be trained for patient risk assessment, drug/therapy response analysis, digital biomarker tracking and histology slide screening. Instead of replacing the pathologists, AI could be leveraged to add additional services and unlock new perspectives or insights. - Donal O'Shea

As a Digital Pathologist, Dr.Żuraw also believes that embracing new technology is crucial for pathologists to understand when and how to leverage AI so that they remain competitive in their field.

Through her blog (Digital Pathology Place) and various online courses, Dr.Żuraw aims to demystify AI in digital pathology and cultivate trust and familiarity with these digital tools among pathologists. She also addressed the common concern that AI might take up and automate tasks pathologists traditionally performed:

My stance is that AI is here to augment our capabilities, taking over the more mundane tasks and allowing us to concentrate on the complexities that require our expert judgment. Embracing AI is not about making our roles obsolete but enhancing our efficiency and effectiveness as pathologists. - Dr. Aleks 🔬 Żuraw

🧗 Challenges Ahead 

Despite its numerous benefits, the integration of digital pathology and AI into practice faces several challenges:

Regulatory hurdles, the high cost of implementation, and the need for standardisation across platforms are significant barriers. Furthermore, the reliance on digital systems raises concerns about data security. 

No doubt the integration of AI and digital practice within pathology is still in the early stages and facing challenges. It's difficult to gather sufficient quality training data while ensuring data security and patient privacy, and patient opt-in is still fairly low. However, this progress will be accelerated as the public gains a better understanding of the need for this technology for long-term benefits and governments, regulators facilitate better access to data. - Donal O'Shea

Dr.Żuraw envisions a future where digital pathology is not a separate speciality but an integral part of the pathology landscape. 

My ultimate vision for the field is a seamless integration of digital practices into pathology, to the extent that the distinction between 'digital pathology' and 'pathology' fades away. We simply practice pathology, but with digital tools as our primary instruments. - Dr. Aleks 🔬 Żuraw

💡A trailblazer in Digital Pathology Platforms: Deciphex