Leica Biosystems Unveils its Aperio GT 450 DX Digital Pathology Scanner and Delivers Excellence to Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK

Leica Biosystems, a global leader in pathology workflow solutions, announced the European launch of its Aperio GT 450 DX digital pathology scanner. This next generation imaging system was unveiled at the highly successful Leica Biosystems Digital Pathology Virtual Summit and is already installed at the Center of Excellence at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust NHS, UK.

During the summit, nearly 3,000 virtual attendees joined thought leaders from around the globe to hear about the latest topics and advances in digital pathology. The featured attraction: the Aperio GT 450 DX Scanner. Combining patented real-time focusing with custom-designed Leica objectives, it delivers excellent image quality and rapid scanning. This breakthrough technology enables laboratories to scale up digital pathology for high-throughput, routine diagnostics.

Dr. Darren Treanor, Consultant Pathologist, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK and Director of Northern Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC), was a presenter at the summit, discussing Digital Pathology and Artificial Intelligence in the NHS, and also spearheads digital pathology in NPIC, Leeds, who are the recipient of the first Aperio GT 450 DX Scanner in Europe.

“Our goal with the Aperio GT 450 DX System is to have a platform for high quality, standardised, 100% scanning for NPIC across 6 hospitals linked by a central PACS system,” stated Dr. Treanor. “Digital Pathology will lead in the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, improving the quality and speed of pathology services for patients globally. The NHS is an ideal environment for the development of AI - the NPIC vision is to be at the forefront of digital pathology and AI adoption, while maintaining strong foundations in routine clinical practice.”

“Artificial intelligence and digital pathology for clinical diagnosis have long been an integral part of our strategic roadmap,” said Colin White, Global Vice President, Advanced Staining and Imaging at Leica Biosystems. “The practice of pathology will be transformed with the integration of whole slide images, advanced algorithms, and big data integrated into the PACS. We are excited that the Aperio GT 450 DX delivers the technology that will allow healthcare professionals to realize their long-term vision, while providing immediate benefits in primary diagnosis such as improved throughput, reduced turnaround times and high-quality images.”

Leica Biosystems Virtual Digital Pathology Summit – On-Demand Presentations:
Leeds Teaching Hospital presentations (in the auditorium): Chloe Knowles will discuss Laboratory quality assurance and ISO accreditation for DP, Bethany Williams will touch upon Maintaining Lab and Clinical Quality With Digital Diagnosis and Darren Treanor will exchange ideas on digital pathology and artificial intelligence in the NHS. Fourteen additional On-Demand digital pathology presentations are available.

The clinical use claims described for the products in the information supplied have not been cleared or approved by the U.S. FDA or are not available in the United States.

About Leica Biosystems:
LeicaBiosystems.com is a global leader in workflow solutions and automation, integrating each step in the workflow. As the only company to own the workflow from biopsy to diagnosis, we are uniquely positioned to break down the barriers between each of these steps. Our mission of “Advancing Cancer Diagnostics, Improving Lives” is at the heart of our corporate culture. Our easy-to-use and consistently reliable offerings help improve workflow efficiency and diagnostic confidence. The company is represented in over 100 countries and is headquartered in Nussloch, Germany.

About Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT):
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest teaching hospitals in the country, a regional and national center for specialist treatment, a world-renowned biomedical research facility, a leading clinical trials research unit and also the local hospital for the Leeds community. We contribute to life in the Leeds region, not only by being one of the largest employers with almost 18,000 staff but by supporting the health and well-being of the community and playing a leading role in research, education and innovation. We are rated as a good Hospital Trust by our regulators the Care Quality Commission.

About NPIC:
NPIC (Northern Pathology Imaging Co-operative) is a unique collaboration between NHS, Academic and Industry partners. NPIC is one of five centres supported from the Data to Early Diagnosis and Precision Medicine strand of the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge.

Funding Acknowledgment: 
Northern Pathology Imaging Co-operative (NPIC) (Project no. 104687) is supported by a £50m investment from the Data to Early Diagnosis and Precision Medicine strand of the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, managed and delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).