Leica Biosystems and UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine announce a collaboration that will accelerate innovation and the adoption of digital pathology.

Leica Biosystems and UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, a leading clinical pathology institution, announced today a collaboration that will accelerate innovation and the adoption of digital pathology (DP).

Leading edge product testing will be conducted with UCLA to validate DP in a high volume setting. This joint effort builds upon the existing relationship between UCLA and Leica Biosystems that was established in 2011.

The pathology team at UCLA, led by Dr. Scott Binder, senior vice chair, will be working with Leica Biosystems Aperio ePathology on innovative technology for pathology.

Dr. Binder’s expert team, headed by Dr. W. Dean Wallace, associate director of anatomic pathology, will be testing and providing quantitative feedback on current and next generation products intended to advance digital pathology in the United States, from bench research to full clinical adoption.

"By working with Leica Biosystems, we have the opportunity to help shape the digital pathology industry. By testing products and providing real insight as to their clinical utility, we are hoping to define how pathology imaging products can improve the daily workflow processes.

"The primary goal is to better understand how these products perform in a high volume clinical environment," said Dr. Wallace.’

Puneet Sarin, vice president and general manager of Pathology Imaging at Leica Biosystems, stated, "We are truly excited about this collaboration. UCLA is an ideal partner.

"They are considered leaders in their field. Further, the collective team can provide quantitative data about how future, cutting edge products will impact lab workflows and turnaround time in a very demanding, high volume lab setting."

Leica Biosystems 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.