Services

The Biomedical Imaging Team (BIT) at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital provides a variety of software and hardware services related to virtual microscopy (VM) with the purpose of enhancing biomedical research. An early adopter of this digital imaging technology, BIT began working with virtual microscopy in association with the Biopathology Core (BPC) in 2004. Through a joint funding initiative involving both the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG), BIT purchased their first Aperio ScanScope T2 imaging robot that formed the basis for their virtual microscopy program.

Since 2004, the BIT has experienced significant growth in both the number of imaging robots actively used in the program and the infrastructure necessary to support large-scale cancer research projects. To date the program has provided valuable VM imaging services to national organizations such as the Children's Oncology Group, the Gynecologic Oncology Group, Gynecology Oncology Foundation , NRG Oncology, the pediatric division of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network, Southwest Oncology Group, The Cancer Genome Atlas Project, and for researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

As part of the Biopathology Center, BIT is focused on providing imaging services to facilitate processes related to pathology and specimen banking. These areas of focus include:

Histopathology Virtual Microscopy and Imaging

Using specialized equipment and techniques, BIT can create high-quality virtual whole slide images for a wide range of research needs. The VM) and imaging process begins with the submission of tissue samples and results in a series of either bright field or immunofluorescent whole slide images suitable for pathological review. BIT’s capabilities include:

  • 20X/40X bright field whole slide images using the Aperio Scanscope AT2 and AT- turbo Scanner, capable of processing 400 1x3 inch and 2x3 inch glass slides. 
  • 20X/40X bright field whole slide images using the Aperio Scanscope XT Scanner, capable of processing 120 1x3 glass slides in a single pass.  
  • 20X/40X bright field whole slide images using the Hamamatsu NanoZoomer 2.0-HT, Slide Scanner, a unique multilayer scanner capable of imaging multiple focal planes of specimens  and processing 210 glass slides in a single pass
  • 20X whole slide fluorescent images using Aperio FL ScanScope100X oil immersion hematopathology and microbiology whole slide images using Aperio ScanScope OS Scanner
Image Storage

Whole slide images generated by the BIT can be stored and delivered on a variety of media, including access to a web-based interface that supplies the customer with digital image(s), the Aperio ImageScope viewer, and a list of frequently asked questions. Delivery media options include:

  • Platinum DVD (compatible with the Microsoft Windows operating systems only)
  • External hard drives
  • Cloud-based storage
Digitized Tissue Microarrays

As part of the Biopathology Center, our team can now provide whole slide images of H&E stained tissue microarrays for review. The BPC has a wide array of both pediatric and gynecologic tissue microarrays that can be purchased including:

  • Alveolar and Embryonal Rabdomyosarcoma
  • Ewing’s Sarcoma
  • Glioma
  • Medulloblastoma
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Osteosarcoma
  • Rhabdoid
  • Wilm’s Tumor
Other Services
  • Automated Pathology Review Applications
  • Slide Conferencing
  • Image Architecture Analysis &Amp; Development
  • Digitized Pathology Reports
  • Online Capture Of Pathology Review Data
  • Image Analysis
  • Customized Reports