Collaborative research project “EXPRIMAGE“ - Automated multi-dimensional tissue diagnostics for improved prognosis assessment and therapy of cancer

Abstract:

While pathologists can safely distinguish tumorous from healthy tissue by microscopic inspection of tissue sections, their prognosis of the course of disease unfortunately remains vague in many cases. The “Exprimage” research network aims to change this by establishing novel parameters for cancer diagnostics. For this purpose, the latest methods in optics and molecular biology are integrated into a novel diagnostic platform. Here, tissue diagnostics is brought to a new level by implementing digital microscopy and automated image recognition. Further diagnostic parameters are supplied by biomolecular analysis, optical measurements of cell elasticity and Raman spectroscopy. In the course of the project, these methods are applied to ten thousands of tissue sections and the results judged in a synoptic review. The involved medical partners supply not only their large experience in cancer diagnostics and tissue pathology, but also an exceptionally large and well-documented casebook. The novel diagnostic method shall help to predict individual courses of disease more precisely and thus lead to better therapy recommendations. Project partners: Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH, QIAGEN GmbH, WITec GmbH, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, RWTH Aachen, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena