The article titled “Revolutionizing Digital Pathology using Intel Edge to Cloud Technologies: OpenVINO Toolkit, OpenVINO Model Server, and Edge-Native Software Platform” discusses the transformation of digital pathology through the use of Intel’s technologies.

Of interest here are the current challenges in the realm of pathology. In 2020, more than 19 million new cancer cases were diagnosed worldwide, and this number is expected to rise to 28.4 million cases by 2040. The shortage of trained pathologists is a significant concern, especially considering the increasing rate of cancer cases.

The physical inspection of a patient’s slides can take up to 40 to 60 minutes of a pathologist’s time. Additionally, physical storage is another challenge, as one hospital can generate more than 200k glass slides annually (1). These physical samples are usually shipped between healthcare providers for second opinions, historical trend analysis, and educational purposes, which introduces the risk of loss, breakage, and biohazard exposure.

Given these challenges, the medical industry is investigating the use of Digital Pathology to help improve accuracy and reduce time-to-diagnosis by medical professionals.

The article then discusses the importance of Digital Pathology. In the 1990s, commercialized whole-slide imaging scanners transformed the whole tissue slide into a digitalized image. They initiated the Digital Pathology field as the process of digitizing biopsy slide samples into whole-slide images and storing and analyzing them.

The article also discusses how Intel-Powered Platforms Enable Fast AI for Digital Pathology. The challenge for organizations to implement an effective Digital Pathology solution is to make efficient use of current resources, accommodate limited budgets, and provide flexible deployment options for a range of CPUs, GPUs, and hardware accelerators.

The Intel® Distribution of OpenVINO™ toolkit running on Intel® architecture-based platforms and Intel® OpenVINO™ Model Server beside Intel® Edge-Native Software Platform can help simplify the move to Digital Pathology for clinics and research facilities.