DakoCytomation has unveiled its new virtual microscopy solution ScanScope in partnership with Aperio Technologies. The ScanScope is an innovative microscope slide scanner that for the first time makes it practical to digitize entire slides, creating a virtual slide environment for automated microscopic inspection in pathology, cytology, hematology and related fields.

"I see the ScanScope as an important addition in the diagnostic value chain," said Jes Ostergaard, CEO of DakoCytomation. "In order to optimize patient care, the diagnosis must be correct and reliable because the choice of therapy relies on these data. ScanScope helps the pathologist to a better interpretation of the patient sample, and it also gives the opportunity to pass on a picture file of the patient sample to seek expert advice in difficult cases."

Virtual microscopy is the digital equivalent of traditional microscopy. Instead of looking at a glass slide through the eyepieces of a microscope, a scientist views a digital image of an entire slide on a display monitor, with full panning and zooming capabilities. The value of virtual microscopy to pathologists will be increased productivity and more objective diagnoses. Immediate applications for the ScanScope include routine diagnostics, education and telepathology.

"The partnership between Aperio and DakoCytomation is founded in the belief that virtual microscopy will enable the digitization and automation of pathology," said Dirk Soenkson, CEO of Aperio Technologies. "Routine entire-slide digitization will revolutionize the way in which pathologists relate to microscopic information in the future."