We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
PURITAN MEDICAL

Download Mobile App




3D Pathology with AI to Enhance Prognosis Accuracy for Barrett's Esophagus Patients

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 08 Aug 2024
Print article
Image: Examples of AI-triaged 3D image sections of a biopsy show how 3D pathology (left) upgraded the diagnosis compared with conventional 2-dimensional methods (right) (Photo courtesy of UW College of Engineering)
Image: Examples of AI-triaged 3D image sections of a biopsy show how 3D pathology (left) upgraded the diagnosis compared with conventional 2-dimensional methods (right) (Photo courtesy of UW College of Engineering)

Barrett's esophagus is a condition where the lining of the esophagus changes due to chronic gastroesophageal reflux. Individuals with Barrett's esophagus are at a slightly increased risk of developing esophageal cancer and require regular surveillance endoscopies. During these procedures, gastroenterologists collect numerous biopsies from the affected tissues. These samples are then cut into thin sections and placed on glass slides for examination under a microscope by pathologists. However, the tissue sections that pathologists view represent only about 1% or less of the actual biopsies and provide just a two-dimensional view, which can be misleading. Researchers are now conducting clinical studies of archived tissues from patients with the condition to develop computational 3D pathology methods for Barrett’s esophagus risk stratification.

The research team at UW College of Engineering (Seattle, WA, USA) had previously invented 3D pathology methods to assess prostate cancer risk and shifted their focus on gastrointestinal applications of their technologies, including for evaluating esophageal cancer risk in patients with Barrett’s esophagus. They aim to demonstrate that analyzing 3D pathology datasets from entire endoscopic biopsies using AI can better determine which patients might progress to esophageal cancer and thus require more intensive treatment. The team is utilizing open-top light-sheet microscopy for this purpose. This innovative technique allows for 3D microscopic viewing of biopsies without the need for slicing, preserving the entire tissue structure.

This "slide-free" microscopy technique involves using a light sheet and high-speed cameras to image tissue samples stained with fluorescent dyes and made transparent through a process called optical clearing. Once the 3D pathology datasets are prepared, AI is employed to either highlight the most crucial areas of the biopsy for pathologist review or to autonomously evaluate the tissues. In previous research published in Modern Pathology, the team introduced a deep learning approach that proved more efficient at identifying malignancies in Barrett’s esophagus biopsies than traditional methods, significantly reducing the number of images pathologists need to examine. Furthermore, the team is enhancing the AI model's training process by developing an advanced weakly-supervised deep learning triage system for analyzing 3D pathology datasets.

“We are trying to identify the highest risk patients so that they may receive early treatments that could be critical for their survival,” said Professor Jonathan Liu, professor of mechanical engineering, bioengineering, and laboratory medicine & pathology at the University of Washington. “In our archived tissue samples, some patients progressed to cancer, and we are trying to detect what in their tissues could have predicted that at the earliest stages.”

Related Links:
UW College of Engineering

Gold Member
Fully Automated Cell Density/Viability Analyzer
BioProfile FAST CDV
Antipsychotic TDM Assays
Saladax Antipsychotic Assays
New
Dengue Virus Test
Diagnostic Kit for Dengue Virus RNA (PCR-Fluorescence Probing)
New
Neuron-Specific Enolase ELISA
Human NSE ELISA Test Kit

Print article

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel
Image: The new saliva-based test for heart failure measures two biomarkers in about 15 minutes (Photo courtesy of Trey Pittman)

POC Saliva Testing Device Predicts Heart Failure in 15 Minutes

Heart failure is a serious condition where the heart muscle is unable to pump sufficient oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. It ranks as a major cause of death globally and is particularly fatal for... Read more

Hematology

view channel
Image: The discovery of a new blood group has solved a 50- year-old mystery (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Newly Discovered Blood Group System to Help Identify and Treat Rare Patients

The AnWj blood group antigen, a surface marker discovered in 1972, has remained a mystery regarding its genetic origin—until now. The most common cause of being AnWj-negative is linked to hematological... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The blood test measures lymphocytes  to guide the use of multiple myeloma immunotherapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Simple Blood Test Identifies Multiple Myeloma Patients Likely to Benefit from CAR-T Immunotherapy

Multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer originating from plasma cells in the bone marrow, sees almost all patients experiencing a relapse at some stage. This means that the cancer returns even after initially... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: The Accelerate WAVE system delivers rapid AST directly from positive blood culture bottles (Photo courtesy of Accelerate Diagnostics)

Rapid Diagnostic System to Deliver Same-Shift Antibiotic Susceptibility Test Results

The World Health Organization estimates that sepsis impacts around 49 million people worldwide each year, resulting in roughly 11 million deaths, with about 1.32 million of these deaths directly linked... Read more

Industry

view channel
Image: The Scopio X100 and X100HT full-field digital cell morphology solution (Photo courtesy of Beckman Coulter)

Beckman Coulter and Scopio Labs Add World's First Digital Bone Marrow Imaging and Analysis to Long-Term Partnership

Since 2022, Beckman Coulter (Brea, CA, USA) and Scopio Labs (Tel Aviv, Israel) have been working together to accelerate adoption of the next generation of digital cell morphology. Scopio's X100 and X100HT... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.