Automation in the Pathology Laboratory

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, pathology laboratories are dealing with a constant increase in their workflow, which is estimated to grow by about 5% annually. Along with the current shortage of dedicated professional figures, such as pathologists and laboratory technicians, and the overwhelming amount of meticulous data required in the modern era of personalized medicine, the likelihood of human-driven errors continues to threaten physicians’ daily routines. Standardization in the pre-analytical, analytical, and post-analytical phases is a major concern in pathology, with the aim of homogenizing and improving tissue management to enhance the reproducibility of the diagnostic process. In this context, automation, defined as the employment of devices intended to supplement or replace human efforts in a process, is pivotal. Owing to its intrinsic ability to integrate with novel technologies, including digital pathology and artificial intelligence, automation in pathology has a remarkable potential to enhance sample management, lessen human-based mistakes, and increase timesaving and the productivity of operators. In this Special Issue, we will gather the available and yet-to-come state-of-the-art automatic solutions that can revolutionize all the critical processes of a pathology laboratory, ranging from sampling collection to traceability, digitalization, hardware, software, and specimen storage (block and glass/virtual slides), among others. By providing the readers with a cutting-edge scenario of the most disruptive but still customizable novelties, this Special Issue seeks to address some of the most compelling current issues of pathology laboratories, ultimately reducing diagnostic turn-around times and improving the clinical management of patients.

Prof. Dr. Albino Eccher
Dr. Stefano Marletta
Dr. Viscardo Paolo Fabbri
Guest Editors

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• automation in pathology
• traceability
• laboratory workflow
• standardization
• digital pathology
• pathology archive