Digital and Computational Pathology Center of Excellence established through a collaboration with Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Phillips Singapore.
Announced in September 2020, SGH and Phillips Singapore will be working together to develop a Digital and Computational Pathology Center of Excellence at SGH. The new Center of Excellence looks to advance pathology practice through the implementation of a fully digital histopathology workflow and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) to boost productivity and enhance patient care.
With the aim to develop the first fully digitized histopathology laboratory in ASEAN, SGH plans to expand the use of Phillips IntelliSite Pathology Solution, which will potentially save over 12,000 hours every year.
As one of the largest pathology laboratories in ASEAN, the Center of Excellence aims to push its digital pathology capabilities for primary diagnosis, training, and R&D. SGH and Phillips will also be joining forces to refining and streamlining the histopathology laboratory’s digital workflow.
Optimisation of digital pathology will help in enhancing research in AI at SGH and empower pathologist to face current challenges in pathology. Rapid ageing population and changes in disease dynamics will increase the complexity of pathological diagnostics and the workload of pathologists. AI will allow pathologists to focus on more challenging tasks and unique cases that require more attention.
“We have always attempted to transform our processes and capabilities in anticipation of evolving circumstances and the needs of our patients. As healthcare becomes more complex and demanding, digitisation has become a key enabler for the Hospital to provide better care for our patients and to be more efficient,” said Prof. Kenneth Kwek, Chief Executive Officer at SGH.
“Digital pathology is an example and our partnership with companies such as Philips with the clinical and technical know-how is important in helping us achieve our goal.”
“Digital pathology will enhance the quality and efficiency of a histopathology laboratory,” said Diederik Zeven, General Manager, Health Systems, Philips ASEAN Pacific. “We are committed to partnering with leading healthcare institutions like Singapore General Hospital to bring the latest in precision diagnoses and AI capabilities to help them augment clinical quality, improving patient outcomes and thereby reducing the cost of care.”
Philips IntelliSite Pathology Solution enables pathologists to review and interpret digital images of surgical pathology slides prepared from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. This technology replaces the need for traditional glass slides to be viewed under a microscope, and facilitates referencing and storage. Ultimately, digital images allow the application of computer-aided image analysis with AI. [APBN]