Category: Press Releases

NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSTG), a leading provider of life science tools for discovery and translational research, and Visiopharm, a world leader in AI-driven digital pathology software, today announced a collaboration to accelerate the discovery of novel biomarkers and drug targets using the latest spatial imaging and machine learning technologies. Together, NanoString and Visiopharm are developing integrated workflows leveraging the multiplexing capability of the GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP) and the AI-driven image analysis capabilities of Visiopharm. NanoString’s new cloud informatics platform, the AtoMx™ Spatial Informatics Platform, will enhance the integration by providing scalable computing power with worldwide access.

Integrating Visiopharm’s Oncotopix® Discovery software into the GeoMx DSP workflow will enhance and simplify sample processing for translational research applications. Researchers can leverage Visiopharm’s AI algorithms to analyze four-color fluorescent images generated on GeoMx as well as associated images using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, to better understand the number and type of cells within DSP profiling regions. The combination of these technologies is expected to accelerate biomarker discovery and validation with in situ whole transcriptome and high-plex protein analysis.

Additionally, NanoString and Visiopharm will maintain file format compatibility that enables researchers to analyze GeoMx DSP whole-slide images with the Visiopharm software, providing access to a rich toolset for pathologic and spatial analysis including cell counts, phenotype mapping, distance measures, and more, which can be used to enhance and validate the high-plex spatial molecular data. “At NanoString, our vision is to map the universe of biology, and we are excited this strategic collaboration will allow us to offer our researchers new insights by combining the results from whole-slide image analysis and high-plex spatial molecular analysis,” said John Gerace, chief commercial officer, NanoString. “Our compatible solutions will enable a new frontier in discovery and provide deeper biological insights advancing the field of digital pathology.”

“Visiopharm is committed to transforming pathology through AI-based tissue mining, and this collaboration will combine the power of 20 years of expertise in pathology image analysis with high-plex spatial molecular analyses,” said Louise Armstrong, chief commercial officer, Visiopharm. “Spatial biology is one of the fastest growing areas of research, and this collaboration will enable a deeper understanding of the spatial high-plex and whole-transcriptome data that GeoMx delivers.”

Arutha Kulasinghe, Ph.D., National Health and Medical Research Council Research Fellow, University of Queensland, will showcase integrated workflows at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) annual meeting in November 2022. He will present predictive signatures for immunotherapy response identified in head and neck cancer utilizing high-plex spatial profiling.

About Visiopharm

Visiopharm® is a world leader in AI-driven precision pathology software. Their pioneering image analysis tools support thousands of scientists, pathologists, and image analysis experts in academic institutions, biopharmaceutical industry, and diagnostic centers. AI-based image analysis and tissue mining tools support research and drug development research worldwide, while CE-IVD APPs provide decision support. With the most advanced and sophisticated artificial intelligence and deep learning, Visiopharm delivers tissue data mining tools, precision results, and workflows.

Visiopharm was founded in 2002 and is privately owned. The company operates internationally with over 750 customer accounts and countless users in more than 40 countries. The company headquarters are in Denmark’s Medicon Valley, with offices in Sweden, England, Germany, The Netherlands and United States.

For enquiries: 

Johanne Louise Brændgaard
Chief Marketing Officer
jlb@visiopharm.com

About NanoString Technologies, Inc. 

NanoString Technologies, a leader in spatial biology, offers an ecosystem of innovative discovery and translational research solutions, empowering our customers to map the universe of biology. The GeoMx® Digital Spatial Profiler, cited in more than 145 peer-reviewed publications, is a flexible and consistent solution combining the power of whole tissue imaging with gene expression and protein data for spatial whole transcriptomics and proteomics from one FFPE slide. The CosMx™ Spatial Molecular Imager is an FFPE-compatible, single-cell imaging platform powered by spatial multiomics enabling researchers to map single cells in their native environments to extract deep biological insights and novel discoveries from one experiment. The AtoMx™ Spatial Informatics Platform is a cloud-based informatics solution with advanced analytics and global collaboration capabilities, enabling powerful spatial biology insights anytime, anywhere. The CosMx SMI and AtoMx SIP platforms are expected to launch in 2022. At the foundation of our research tools is our nCounter® Analysis System, cited in more than 6,000 peer-reviewed publications, which offers a secure way to easily profile the expression of hundreds of genes, proteins, miRNAs, or copy number variations, simultaneously with high sensitivity and precision. For more information, visit www.nanostring.com. 

Doug Farrell, NanoString 
Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Communications 
dfarrell@nanostring.com 
Phone: 206-602-1768 

Visiopharm is pleased to announce the novel deployment of Visiopharm’s existing diagnostic decision support APPs (CE under IVDR) for University Medical Centre Utrecht (UMC Utrecht) in the Netherlands. Those include applications for ER, PR, HER2 and Ki-67 biomarker quantification as well as a deep-learning based lymph node metastasis detection algorithm (H&E). Visiopharm will also install newly acquired Hamamatsu scanners at UMC Utrecht.

On the research side, Visiopharm will furthermore launch its automated AI-driven digital pathology workflow at UMC Utrecht, which is currently for research only and not for diagnostic purposes. It includes fully automated (zero-click) deep-learning based APPs, that are automating essential steps in the workflow: Automated detection of patient tissue (versus control tissue); automated quality control (identifying missing tumor, necrosis, folds, tears, out-of-focus areas, pen marks, and debris for example); detection of invasive/pre-invasive tumor versus stroma; handling tumor heterogeneity; and identification and quantification of microstructural content including biomarker expression. By doing so, the analysis results will be ready for the pathologist at time of case review. Once the validation phase is finalized, Visiopharm will apply for CE-IVD certification for those new deep-learning-based APPs.

Prof Paul van Diest, UMC Utrecht, said:

“Visiopharm is a very dedicated AI company that has taken precision pathology to the level of daily practice including full IVDR compliance, which we regard as a necessary requirement for a future-proof patient-safe system. There is a very strong alignment with our vision for AI-driven workflows and transformation, from fully glass-based pathology to fully-digital AI supported pathology.”

Martin Kristensson, SVP Global Clinical Sales, Visiopharm said:

“UMC Utrecht and Prof Paul Van Diest are true trailblazers in this field, creating a blueprint for others to follow when undertaking the full digital transformation of a pathology lab. We are very excited to support UMC Utrecht in achieving their vision of delivering precision pathology to their care centers and for their patients, using the best scanning technology from Hamamatsu, and AI-enhanced digital pathology workflows. Our ultimate goal is to support UMC Utrecht in realizing improved patient outcomes, as well as cost and time-savings, through automation, quality control, and increased precision.” 

Dirk Vossen, Chief Diagnostic Officer, Visiopharm said:

“We only see the launch of Oncotopix® with our IVDR-compliant APPs as the beginning of an exciting collaboration, where our combined decades-long experience in digital pathology and best practices on AI-based image analysis will raise the bar for standardization and automation – the two key ingredients in sustainable cancer healthcare. We have already agreed to give UMC Utrecht access to our novel products, including Qualitopix™, to further develop and validate our joint vision for AI-driven precision pathology.”

About Visiopharm

Visiopharm® is a world leader in AI-driven precision pathology software. Their pioneering image analysis tools support thousands of scientists, pathologists, and image analysis experts in academic institutions, biopharmaceutical industry, and diagnostic centers. AI-based image analysis and tissue mining tools support research and drug development research worldwide, while CE-IVD APPs provide decision support. With the most advanced and sophisticated artificial intelligence and deep learning, Visiopharm delivers tissue data mining tools, precision results, and workflows.

Visiopharm was founded in 2002 and is privately owned. The company operates internationally with over 750 customer accounts and countless users in more than 40 countries. The company headquarters are in Denmark’s Medicon Valley, with offices in Sweden, England, Germany, The Netherlands and United States.

Visiopharm today announces that it will provide The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) with AI-powered precision pathology solutions. OSUCCC – James will test Visiopharm’s next generation APPs which include automated identification of patient tissue versus control tissue on the slide and automatic queue of analysis, which includes identification of tumor cells versus pre-invasive/stromal cells, quantification of structural content as well as visualization of heterogeneity. This powerful workflow and analysis is accomplished through a series of deep learning networks that have been trained on vast amounts of data, with real-world variability, from the 100 plus diagnostic pathology labs Visiopharm is working with today.

The decision to work with Visiopharm is the result of their experience and documentation of the processes for future validated use of AI-driven image analysis.

Some of the solutions purchased include a full IHC panel of breast cancer algorithms as well as a H&E lymph node metastasis identification algorithm. These packaged analysis algorithms, or APPs, are already IVDR cleared in Europe, where they are used in a clinical setting. In the United States, these APPs are for research use only (RUO) and not for diagnostic purposes.

Michael Grunkin, Visiopharm CEO, said:

“We are very excited about this collaboration. There are very few organizations in this world with more practical experience and profound insights in digital pathology and anatomic pathology workflows than Dr. Anil Parwani and his team at the OSUCCC – James. Combined with our expertise and experience in launching AI-driven precision pathology in multiple diagnostic pathology labs in Europe, we have an opportunity to create multiplicative value in how we both think about and launch integrated computational assays for precision pathology.”

Amanda Lowe, Managing Director, Americas, Visiopharm, said:

“This is a powerful example of research being applied to translate the value of AI-powered digital pathology. We have listened carefully to the recommendations from Dr. Parwani and his team, and through that process, we have come to understand the multiple parameters diagnostic AI-solutions need, to deliver meaningful results. Also, the importance of maintaining a vendor agnostic approach with scanners, LIMS/PACS systems, and staining platforms. Visiopharm is leveraging 20 years’ experience serving the team at OSUCCC – James. I have no doubt we will learn even more in this next phase of our work together.”

Dr Anil Parwani, Vice Chair of Anatomic Pathology, and member of the Visiopharm Scientific Advisory Board, said:

“It is with great excitement that we begin to explore use of these powerful tools in a clinical context and environment. Digital diagnostic workflows are necessary for artificial intelligence to make a meaningful impact in digital pathology labs, where efficiency and precision are imperative. We are confident that the outcomes will benefit tissue pathology as a professional discipline, and ultimately the care of patients.”

About Visiopharm

Visiopharm® is a world leader in AI-driven precision pathology software. Their pioneering image analysis tools support thousands of scientists, pathologists, and image analysis experts in academic institutions, biopharmaceutical industry, and diagnostic centers. AI-based image analysis and tissue mining tools support research and drug development research worldwide, while CE-IVD APPs provide decision support. With the most advanced and sophisticated artificial intelligence and deep learning, Visiopharm delivers tissue data mining tools, precision results, and workflows.

Visiopharm was founded in 2002 and is privately owned. The company operates internationally with over 750 customer accounts and countless users in more than 40 countries. The company headquarters are in Denmark’s Medicon Valley, with offices in Sweden, England, Germany, The Netherlands and United States.

Partnership to unify spatial staining and imaging with AI analysis technologies in end-to-end solution for researchers studying cancer and other diseases.

Lausanne, Switzerland and Hørsholm, Denmark – May 4, 2022 – 5:00 pm (CET)

Lunaphore, a Swiss life sciences company developing technology to enable spatial biology in every laboratory, and Visiopharm, a company developing A.I.-driven precision pathology software, today announced a new partnership that will unite staining and imaging with A.I. analysis capabilities. Under the partnership, the companies will co-market a complete end-to-end solution that offers hyperplex immunofluorescence staining, image acquisition and subsequent analysis with deep learning.

The combined offering will include Lunaphore’s COMET™, which can perform automated, hyperplex immunofluorescence staining and imaging, and Visiopharm’s Oncotopix® Discovery, an easy-to-use deep learning solution for tissue-based cancer research. COMET™ and Oncotopix® Discovery are compatible natively, and the combined offering provides an all-encompassing, interoperable spatial biology and data analysis solution for researchers.

Visiopharm is a world leader in A.I.-driven precision pathology software with over two decades experience pioneering innovation in digital pathology and partnering with the most recognized names in tissue-based disease research. With the launch of Oncotopix® Discovery, the most robust version of their respected research image analysis software platform to date, Visiopharm brings the power of deep learning to all. Oncotopix® Discovery allows any scientist, not just image analysis experts, to use their understanding of tissue morphology to train an A.I. deep learning APP to get accurate and reproducible data. The software also features the Multiplex Phenotyping module, an essential tool for investigating the tumor microenvironment revealed by staining platforms such as Lunaphore’s COMET™.  

“The technology for staining and imaging multiplexed images is improving rapidly. However, the challenge is how to make sense of what is there,” says James Mansfield, Senior Vice President, Research Business Development at Visiopharm. “How do we interpret highplex staining in a way that not only reveals meaningful insights but does so accurately and reproducibly? That has been our focus from the beginning in developing our Multiplex Phenotyping module. We give researchers a beginning-to-end solution to create a cell phenotype map of the tissue microenvironment and then a set of helpful visualization tools like t-SNE plots and matrixes to verify and interpret the data.”

“That is where we see a powerful synergy between Visiopharm and Lunaphore,” Mansfield continued. “We are both interested in arming researchers with tools to conduct spatial biology analysis that deliver reproducible results. This is essential for true advancement to be made in both basic and especially translational studies.” 

With superior tissue profiling capabilities, the COMET™ platform allows a multiplex analysis of up to 40 separate spatial markers per tissue slide without human intervention. COMET™ has a wide range of research applications across immuno-oncology, neuroscience, and infectious diseases.  

“Our partnership with Visiopharm allows us to create a unified technology solution that can enhance our understanding of cancer pathology,” said Déborah Heintze, Chief Marketing Officer of Lunaphore. “By combining our leading spatial biology platform with Visiopharm’s deep learning capabilities, this collaboration can make it easier for laboratories to adopt and integrate spatial biology solutions for their research.”  

To learn more about the COMET™ platform

Learn more about Lunaphore

Learn more about Oncotopix Discovery

About Lunaphore

Lunaphore Technologies S.A. is a Swiss company born in 2014 with the vision of enabling spatial biology in every laboratory. Lunaphore has developed a game-changing chip technology which can extract spatial proteomic and genomic data from tumors and transform any simple assay into multiplex spatial biology without complexity. Lunaphore empowers researchers to push the boundaries of research to ultimately develop the next generation personalized therapies. For further information on Lunaphore and its products, please visit www.lunaphore.com. 

About Visiopharm

Visiopharm® is a world leader in AI-driven precision pathology software. Their pioneering image analysis tools support thousands of scientists, pathologists, and image analysis experts in academic institutions, biopharmaceutical industry, and diagnostic centers. AI-based image analysis and tissue mining tools support research and drug development research worldwide, while CE-IVD APPs support primary diagnostics. With the most advanced and sophisticated artificial intelligence and deep learning, Visiopharm delivers tissue data mining tools, precision results, and workflows. 

Visiopharm was founded in 2002 and is privately owned. The company operates internationally with over 900 licenses and countless users in more than 40 countries. The company headquarters are in Denmark’s Medicon Valley, with offices in Sweden, England, Germany, Netherlands and United States. 

For further information contact:

Irene Tamayo

Lunaphore Corporate Communications

Email: communications@lunaphore.com

Michelle Oswald

Marketing Manager, Research

Email: mos@visiopharm.com

Visiopharm is pleased to announce that Johanne Louise Brændgaard has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer.

Johanne will play a vital part in executing Visiopharm’s strategy in AI-driven precision and high-throughput pathology, with responsibility for brand strategy and awareness, customer experience and commercial marketing.

Johanne brings extensive global experience of sales, marketing, and product management within the medical technology industry from previous positions at Cook Medical and Getinge. She also has experience from the telecommunications and venture capital industries.

Johanne is currently on the board of ADDvise AB, having previously been on the board of Acarix AB.

Johanne has a master’s degree in International Business Economics from Aalborg University in Denmark.

Michael Grunkin, Visiopharm CEO said:

“We are delighted to welcome Johanne. She is a great fit with the team, culture and values of the company and brings a personality with her that will naturally facilitate cross-functional collaboration. That, in combination with her extensive experience in the medical technology industry, will be a great asset as we continue to move forward with our ambitious marketing goals.”

Johanne Louise Brændgaard said:

“I’m excited to have joined Visiopharm at this critical time and be part of the mission to transform pathology through our AI-driven solutions. This will enable our customers to have a much stronger foundation for making diagnostic and treatment decisions for cancer patients, which in turn can have significant socio-economic impact due to lower rates of misdiagnosis and ineffective treatment.”

Augsburg University Hospital, one of Germany’s leading hospitals, has selected Visiopharm, a world-leading developer of precision AI image analysis software, to realise its ambition of becoming a digital pathology powerhouse.

The partnership will see Visiopharm implement its digital pathology software to accelerate the hospital’s diagnostic workflows, to provide faster diagnoses to patients and even with a higher degree of accuracy.

The hospital will be using Visiopharm’s CE-IVD marked APPs, starting with HER2 and then expanding to other APPs like ER, PR, Ki67 and lymph node metastasis detection to quantify breast cancer biomarkers.

The partnership builds on an existing collaboration between Visiopharm and Prof Ralf Huss, a member of Visiopharm’s Scientific Advisory Board and Head of the Center for Digital Medicine at Augsburg Hospital. In a collaborative paper published recently, Augsburg pathologists reported on the use of Visiopharm’s AI software to discover an impaired maturation of dendritic cells leading to an inadequate T-cell response in severe cases of COVID patients at the hospital.

Augsburg and Visiopharm intend to collaborate on demonstrating the value of introducing digital pathology and AI into the clinical workflow with the aim for Augsburg to confirm its role as a reference site for other hospitals to base best practice on. This will involve conducting scientific and rigorous studies, as well as developing and testing new algorithms for diagnostic decision support, stain quality management and slide control.

To ensure a seamless workflow, Visiopharm software will be integrated into the existing pathology workflow of the pathology department, together with NEXUS AG, which is the provider of the laboratory information system used in Augsburg.

Michael Grunkin, Visiopharm CEO said:

“We’re excited to be given this opportunity to help Augsburg University Hospital achieve their digital transformation ambition. It’s an exciting milestone to modernize their pathology services and show the value of a fully digital workflow in improving patient care. Throughout the project, we very much look forward to sharing what we achieve together with the healthcare community.”

Prof Bruno Märkl, Institute for Pathology and Molecular Diagnosis, Augsburg University Hospital said:

“This is the beginning of a new chapter for our hospital’s future. With Visiopharm’s AI software we can introduce a truly digital workflow, which includes diagnostic decision support and enables standardization of stain quality. The whole team is determined to deliver the best quality of care for our patients, and we cannot do this without digitizing our pathology workflow. Hopefully we can inspire other hospitals to follow in our footsteps.”

About Visiopharm

Visiopharm® is a world-leading developer of precision AI image analysis software. Their pioneering image analysis tools support thousands of scientists, pathologists, and image analysis experts in academic institutions, biopharmaceutical industry, and diagnostic centers. AI-based image analysis and tissue mining tools support research and drug development research worldwide, while CE-IVD APPs support primary diagnostics. With the most advanced and sophisticated artificial intelligence and deep learning, Visiopharm delivers tissue data mining tools, precision results, and workflows.

Visiopharm was founded in 2002 and is privately owned. The company operates internationally with over 900 licenses and countless users in more than 40 countries. The company headquarters are in Denmark’s Medicon Valley, with offices in Sweden, England, Germany, Netherlands and United States.