Delivering world-class diagnostics and exceptional patient outcomes locally
Kitchener, ON – January 7, 2025 – Thanks to a unique partnership with Huron Digital Pathology, fueled by a $1M gift from The Savvas Chamberlain Family Foundation and further supported by OBIO®, Grand River Hospital officially celebrated the launch of the Digital Pathology program at a donor event on January 7.
Through their commitment to supporting Canadian innovation, Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital are driving advancements in healthcare with the adoption of digital pathology. This new solution will be instrumental in enhancing diagnostic accuracy and improving patient outcomes by leveraging state-of-the-art digital technology in pathology.
Digital Pathology introduces the digitization of pathology slides, enabling pathologists to examine and share high-resolution images of tissue samples remotely. This not only increases efficiency but also opens doors for collaboration between medical professionals across the globe, leading to more accurate diagnoses and improved treatment plans for patients.
“Pathology can be described as the bridge between basic science and clinical practice, central to the understanding of disease,” explains Renee Giroux, Integrated Administrative Director of Laboratory Services at Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital. “Digital Pathology can change the delivery and speed of diagnosis and prognosis for patients across the health care system. The information retrieved from the analysis of patient specimens enable Pathologists to be information specialists. This technology will allow for more accurate and timely diagnosis ensuring an efficient and patient focused health care experience.”
The Hospitals began exploring the use of Digital Pathology in 2022 through an evaluation project supported by OBIO’s Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™) program. The evaluation focused on integrating Huron Digital’s system with the Hospital's existing pathology system and conducting a retrospective study to compare digital image diagnoses with traditional microscope-based methods for accuracy and reliability. Following the successful evaluation, OBIO’s Life Sciences Critical Technologies & Commercialization (LSCTC) Centre of Excellence provided support to Grand River for a successful implementation and adoption of the technology in the clinical setting.
Located in St. Jacobs, ON Huron Digital Pathology is on a mission to transform glass slides into shareable knowledge. Its Scan, Organize, and Analyze solution for pathology combines award-winning whole slide imaging hardware with powerful image search technology to connect pathologists, researchers and educators with the expertise of their colleagues to help speed up diagnosis and accelerate disease research.
"We are thrilled with the success of our pilot project with Grand River Hospital and proud to be their partner of choice in this transformative journey,” says Audil Virk, President, Huron Digital Pathology. “As more hospitals across Ontario and Canada join this initiative, we look forward to supporting the industry's transition to digital solutions. Together, we are building a connected network of hospitals and advancing the future of pathology through innovative technology. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the evolution of digital pathology in Canada.”
Grand River Hospital piloted the use of the TissueScope iQ scanner with smart features, which can rapidly scan up to 400 standard pathology slides or 200 double-wide slides. Once scanned, SlideVault, an image management system, indexes the digitized slide images, making them accessible to pathologists through a web browser and tools for viewing and managing the images.
“The Huron Digital solution provides tools that enable pathologists to analyze and interpret tissue samples with unparalleled precision, facilitating faster diagnoses and more personalized treatment options for patients,” says Carla Girolametto, Integrated Director of Innovation and Research, Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital. “Through our commitment to supporting Canadian innovation, we are proud to advance healthcare solutions that will have a lasting impact. We are also grateful for the support from OBIO®, which has been instrumental in helping us achieve this milestone in healthcare innovation.”
“We believe in the transformative power of digital technology and investing in local innovation to shape the future of healthcare here in Waterloo and beyond,” say Savvas and Christine Chamberlain. “Supporting local healthcare through the Digital Pathology Lab, is an investment in the advancement of medical science and the well-being of countless individuals who will benefit from this innovative research.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Savvas and Christine Chamberlain for their remarkable generosity, and to OBIO® for their support of bringing Digital Pathology to our Hospitals,” says Dr. Dimitrios Divaris, Medical Director, Integrated Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Grand River Hospital and St. Mary’s General Hospital. “We’re excited to be moving to Digital Pathology outside of the research space and into clinical practices, connecting pathologists throughout Waterloo-Wellington and extending to experts around the world, ensuring world-class care at home for our patients. This donation will revolutionize how we conduct pathology research, enabling us to better understand diseases, accelerate medical breakthroughs, and provide the highest quality care to our patients. The Digital Pathology Lab represents the future of medicine, and we are excited to be at the forefront of this innovation.”
“OBIO® is delighted to be a catalyst for the adoption of digital pathology solutions that can revolutionize research and diagnostics, which is being supported by OBIO’s Life Sciences Critical Technologies & Commercialization (LSCTC) Centre of Excellence after a successful evaluation was completed through the Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN™) program,” says Dr. Maura Campbell, President and CEO of OBIO®. “This collaboration with Huron Digital Pathology and Grand River Hospital is another great example of OBIO® driving the adoption of cutting-edge Canadian technologies in our healthcare systems, ultimately improving efficiency and patient care. It is great to see that the Savvas Chamberlain Family Foundation is recognizing the value of Huron's platform as demonstrated through the OBIO-facilitated evaluation.”
The Integrated Pathology team at Grand River and St. Mary’s General Hospital is excited about the opportunities the Digital Pathology Lab brings to enhance diagnostics, advance medical research, and improve healthcare outcomes for patients in our region and globally.
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Media Contact
Victoria Ott
Integrated Director, Strategic Engagement
Grand River Hospital & St. Mary’s General Hospital
victoria.ott@grhosp.on.ca
519-588-4687
About Grand River Hospital
Grand River Hospital is building a world-class health system for all in the communities we serve. One of Ontario’s largest community teaching hospitals, we’re delivering exceptional, patient-focused quality care by a team of dedicated healthcare workers and volunteers. Located in one of the province’s most diverse and rapidly growing regions, we provide services and support to more than 840,000 residents of Waterloo Region and Guelph Wellington at our two campuses (KW and Freeport) and satellite locations. Driven by innovation, we’re proud of our partnerships and collaborations with health system partners, our region’s academic and innovation communities, and diverse community partners. grandriverhospital.ca | Twitter and Instagram @grhospitalkw | YouTube: griverhosp | Facebook and Linkedin: Grand River Hospital
About St. Mary’s General Hospital
Located in the heart of Kitchener, St. Mary’s is home to the Regional Cardiac Centre, Regional Chest Program and Regional Eye Program. As leaders in our field recognized globally for world-class, innovative healthcare, our vision of “Inspiring Excellence. Healthier Together” is not just about our approach to patient-centred care, it’s also about our commitment to our staff. Celebrating a century of care this year, St. Mary’s provides compassionate care to our community serving over 1.4 residents locally and beyond each year. We are the second-largest acute care hospital in the St. Joseph’s Health System with a team of over 2,000 staff, physicians and volunteers dedicated to ensuring patients receive the highest-quality care possible. Learn more about Our Mission, Values & History.
About Huron Digital Pathology
Huron Digital Pathology is a leading innovator in the field of digital pathology, providing advanced solutions for medical imaging and research. Based in St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada, Huron specializes in the development of state-of-the-art whole slide imaging (WSI) scanners and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered software. Their flagship products include high-speed, high-resolution scanners designed to digitize glass pathology slides efficiently, and the software that enables pathologists to review, analyze, and share cases digitally. A key component of this ecosystem is SlideVault™, Huron's robust image management system, which facilitates secure storage, organization, and retrieval of digital pathology images. SlideVault streamlines workflows by enabling seamless collaboration and easy access to images. By integrating AI algorithms, SlideVault enhances accuracy and efficiency, supporting Huron’s mission to revolutionize pathology with accessible, efficient, and precise digital solutions to enhance patient care.
About The Savvas Chamberlain Family Foundation
The Savvas Chamberlain Family Foundation seeks to support organizations in their efforts to tackle society’s greatest challenges of improving the well-being of all, and in their efforts to make communities stronger. The foundation supports local registered charities whose focus and priorities are reducing poverty, providing support for marginalized individuals, and facilitating social inclusion. In addition to health and well-being, the foundation also supports education, arts and culture and the preservation of our environment, thereby making our community a safer and more welcoming place. Learn more: scffoundation.com
For further information, contact:
Maria Harper, Executive Director
maria.harper@exelresearch.com
About OBIO®
Founded in 2009, OBIO® is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to address the needs of the next generation of companies developing innovative human health products. OBIO® advances this goal through collaborative partnerships with industry, the investment community, academia, the healthcare system and government.
OBIO® evaluates new technologies through EAHN™ and implements successful solutions using critical technologies through the LSCTC Centre of Excellence. EAHN™ is supported by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), and LSCTC is supported by the Government of Ontario.
For more information, please visit obio.ca and follow OBIO® on LinkedIn and X.
About Grand River Hospital Foundation
At Grand River Hospital Foundation, we dedicate ourselves to our great community by working in partnership with people from all walks of life to make every healthcare experience exceptional. Our main objective is to raise money to support the programs and equipment needs of Grand River Hospital. Thanks to the generous support of donors across our communities, we’re helping to build a world-class healthcare system for all, right here. careneverstops.ca | Twitter and Instagram: @careneverstops | Facebook and LinkedIn: Grand River Hospital Foundation.