Scopio Labs Enhances Digital Cytology Through The Launch Of Automated Imaging And Solutions For Veterinary Market

By Dan Anderson ● Feb 20, 2020
  • Scopio Labs — a company dedicated to advancing digital microscopy — announced that the ScopioVet Digital Cytology System is now available commercially throughout the US and Canada

Scopio Labs — a company dedicated to advancing digital microscopy — announced that the ScopioVet Digital Cytology System (already installed in dozens of veterinary clinics) is now available commercially throughout the United States and Canada. And ScopioVet is the first true end-to-end solution for veterinary digital cytology, consisting of Scopio’s proprietary microscopy imaging system — an intuitive pathology consultation service and powerful AI tools that automate routine diagnostic tests. Plus ScopioVet enables veterinary clinics to scan and send cytology and hematology cases to a global network of clinical pathologists who provide round-the-clock analysis, within one hour.

“The diagnostic practice of cytology and hematology is designed to be a less invasive and significantly faster option than histology,” said Asher Fink, Veterinary Business Head and VP of Business Development for Scopio Labs. “However, when veterinarians and pet parents wait several days for results to come back, as is the case in most veterinary practices worldwide, the value of cytology is reduced. ScopioVet corrects this dynamic, by providing results in less than an hour, unlocking the true value of cytology and improving the standard of care so veterinarians can deliver exceptional service with improved outcomes.”

Scopio Labs’ proprietary digital microscopy platform scans microscope slides at 100X equivalent magnification and makes it the highest resolution and quality system in the world. And this resolution level is essential for analyzing the sample types generated at the veterinary point of care such as blood, fine needle aspirates and body fluids.

“To provide a conclusive diagnosis for the range of sample types our customers process, 100X magnification is the gold standard,” added Natalie Hoepp, DVM, MS, DACVP, Medical Director at Scopio Labs. “Anything less will leave the clinical pathologist in doubt due to lack of finer microscopic detail, or worse – they may not be able to accurately identify certain microscopic features at all. This will not serve the veterinarian or the patient, and creates diagnostic liability for our veterinary customers. The clear superiority of Scopio’s technology is one of the many reasons I chose to join their vision for the advancement of digital clinical pathology in veterinary medicine.”

Scopio Labs also announced it has implemented powerful features that enable a seamless and comprehensive workflow at the veterinary point of care. For example, ScopioVet has a three slides tray, which allows for easy scanning of cases with more slides. And the service also includes an in-app pathologist chat feature, preferred pathologist routing, and immediate scan streaming which allows pathologists to review scans right away instead of waiting for them to finish uploading thus supporting a rapid turnaround time.

Scopio Labs is also developing artificial intelligence tools that support increased accuracy and efficiency. The first tool to launch — now undergoing clinical validation — is the platelet count estimate, which saves valuable technician time by quickly and accurately identifying platelets in peripheral blood smears and calculating volume per microliter.

“We’re bringing significant improvements to the veterinary workflow simply by digitizing the once-analog process of reviewing samples under a manual microscope,” explained Itai Hayut, CEO of Scopio Labs. “However, our offering only begins there. We have also been developing cutting edge AI models for various use cases in human medicine that are now in various stages of clinical validation. Because the biology is similar, we are able to adjust this AI infrastructure to veterinary samples. Our breakthrough diagnostic platform for veterinary medicine incorporates both AI and remote connectivity to drive the field forward. Veterinary diagnostics is changing rapidly, and we’re excited to be a part of it.”