EN
Tissue processing is a cornerstone of histopathology, transforming biological samples into specimens suitable for microscopic examination, crucial for accurate diagnosis and research in pathology. HealthSky Biotechnology Co., Ltd., established in 2004 and located in Hangzhou, China, is a leader in histology and cytology equipment, focusing on advanced automation to enhance pathology workflows. With a 20-year journey of excellence, serving over 3000 hospitals, and holding 50+ patents, HealthSky is committed to standardizing, automating, and improving precision in pathological diagnosis. This survey note explores the modern advances and future trends in tissue processing, emphasizing HealthSky's contributions, based on recent research and industry insights.
The field of histological tissue processing is undergoing significant transformation, driven by the need for faster, more accurate, and environmentally friendly methods. Several key trends are shaping its future:
Automation: Automated tissue processors are increasingly adopted to standardize and streamline the steps of fixation, dehydration, clearing, and paraffin infiltration. These systems reduce human error, ensure consistency, and increase throughput, making them ideal for high-volume diagnostic and research labs. HealthSky's automatic tissue processors, such as the POSTMAN 1280 Automated Slide Drying and Sorting Machine, exemplify this trend, offering customizable programs to handle diverse tissue types and sizes efficiently. Automation is particularly valuable in settings requiring rapid turnaround times, aligning with HealthSky's mission to enhance laboratory productivity.
Digital Pathology and AI Integration: The integration of digital pathology and artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing tissue analysis. Digital imaging systems capture high-resolution images of tissue samples, while AI and machine learning (ML) algorithms analyze them for patterns, anomalies, and biomarkers, reducing variability and improving diagnostic accuracy. Virtual staining, for instance, allows pathologists to transform unstained tissues into desired formats without additional physical processing, saving time and resources. While HealthSky primarily focuses on processing equipment, their solutions are compatible with digital pathology workflows, ensuring seamless integration for enhanced diagnostic outcomes. Recent studies, such as Machine learning methods for histopathological image analysis: Updates in 2024, highlight significant advances in AI applications, reshaping computational pathology.
Eco-Friendly Reagents: There is a growing emphasis on using safer, less toxic reagents to replace traditional chemicals like formaldehyde and xylene, which pose health risks and environmental concerns. Alternatives such as alcohol-based fixatives and isoparaffinic hydrocarbons are being explored, reducing toxicity while maintaining histological quality. HealthSky prioritizes sustainable solutions, designing equipment that accommodates these eco-friendly reagents, aligning with global trends toward safer laboratory practices.
3D Tissue Models and Tissue Engineering: Advances in 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering are creating complex tissue models and mini-organs, requiring innovative processing techniques to preserve structural integrity. These models are pivotal for regenerative medicine and drug testing, necessitating adaptations in processing methods. HealthSky is exploring ways to integrate their equipment with these emerging applications, ensuring researchers can process and analyze 3D tissues effectively, supporting breakthroughs in medical science.
These trends underscore HealthSky's commitment to innovation, ensuring their products meet current demands and anticipate future needs in histological tissue processing.
Technological advancements are driving significant improvements in tissue processing, enhancing speed, precision, and reproducibility. Key innovations include:
Automated Tissue Processors: These machines automate the intricate steps of tissue processing, minimizing manual handling and reducing errors. HealthSky's automatic tissue processors, such as their fluid-transfer and tissue-transfer systems, feature advanced technologies like Hipenet, which uses high-frequency, low-amplitude sustained oscillation to accelerate liquid exchange inside and outside the specimen without affecting its original structure. This innovation enhances processing efficiency, ensuring consistent, high-quality results. Benefits include programmable systems with precise control over time, temperature, and agitation, allowing flexibility for different tissue types, and the ability to run continuously, even overnight, increasing throughput for high-volume labs.
Tissue Clearing Techniques: Innovations like CLARITY, introduced in 2013, and SHIELD, in 2018, render thick tissue samples translucent by delipidation, enabling imaging and labeling without sectioning. The LifeCanvas pipeline, for instance, includes steps like preservation with SHIELD, delipidation, active labeling with antibodies and probes, refractive index matching, and light-sheet imaging at single-cell resolution, reducing hands-on time and processing n=20 samples with labor a fraction of traditional histology. While not directly offered by HealthSky, their equipment can complement these techniques for subsequent analysis, supporting 3D imaging for research purposes, as detailed in Tissue processing in the 21st century.
Microwave-Assisted Processing: Microwave technology uses electromagnetic radiation to heat tissues uniformly, accelerating fixation, dehydration, clearing, and paraffin infiltration. This method can reduce processing times from 8–12 hours to as little as 1 hour, ideal for urgent diagnostic needs like biopsies. Studies, such as Microwave-Based Rapid Tissue Processing Technique: A Novel Aid in Histopathologic Laboratory, show microwave-processed tissues retain fine structural details and ultrastructural morphology, comparable to conventional methods, with reduced tissue shrinkage. HealthSky's processors may incorporate or be compatible with microwave technology, offering faster processing options for laboratories.
Advanced Imaging and Staining: Innovations in imaging, such as confocal microscopy and light-sheet imaging, provide detailed 3D views of intact tissues, overcoming limitations of traditional thin-section histology. Virtual staining, using AI, allows for the visualization of tissue structures without traditional dyes, enhancing diagnostic precision. These advancements complement HealthSky's equipment, ensuring comprehensive analysis capabilities.
HealthSky's commitment to incorporating these innovations ensures their products deliver state-of-the-art solutions, empowering laboratories worldwide to achieve superior results.
Microwave and cold processing are two innovative approaches that redefine tissue processing, offering unique benefits for speed, quality, and preservation:
Microwave Processing: This technique uses microwave energy to accelerate the tissue processing steps by heating tissues uniformly. It reduces processing time significantly, often completing fixation, dehydration, clearing, and paraffin infiltration in 1 hour compared to 8–12 hours for conventional methods. This rapid turnaround is ideal for urgent diagnostic needs, such as surgical biopsies, and studies, like Domestic Microwave Versus Conventional Tissue Processing: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis, show microwave-processed tissues maintain morphology comparable to conventional methods, with less tissue shrinkage. Challenges include uneven heating in domestic microwaves, but specialized equipment, potentially supported by HealthSky, ensures uniform energy distribution for reliable results. Microwave processing also eliminates the need for antigen retrieval in immunohistochemistry, enhancing workflow efficiency.
Cold Processing: Cold processing, often involving cryopreservation, is critical for studies requiring intact DNA, RNA, and proteins, preserving histological and molecular details. Techniques like frozen sectioning use liquid nitrogen or isopentane to freeze tissues in optimal cutting temperature (OCT) compound, allowing rapid sectioning for immediate examination, essential for intraoperative consultations. This method is vital for genomic, proteomic, and biomarker research, where enzymatic degradation must be minimized. For example, prompt transfer to RNA stabilization reagents like RNAlater, as noted in Tissue Processing Reference Materials, prevents gene expression changes, ensuring accurate quantitative analysis. HealthSky's equipment supports cold processing with precision, ensuring rapid freezing without cracking, and maintaining long-term stability for archival storage at –80°C or in liquid nitrogen.
Both methods play crucial roles in modern histology, offering flexibility and efficiency for diverse diagnostic and research requirements, aligning with HealthSky's versatile solutions.
As new tissue processing methods emerge, a comparative evaluation is essential to understand their strengths, limitations, and applications. Below is a detailed comparison based on recent studies and industry insights:
| Method | Processing Time | Quality of Sections | Cost | Suitability | Advantages | Limitations |
| Conventional Processing | 8-12 hours | High, well-established | Moderate | Routine diagnostics,research | Thorough,reliable, gold standard | Time- consuming,labor-intensive |
| Microwave Processing | 1 hour | Comparable, less shrinkage | Higher | Urgent cases, high-throughput labs | Faster, cost-effective, goodmorphology | Requiresspecializedequipment,training |
| Automated Processing | 4-8 hours | Consistent, high-quality | Higher | High-volume labs, standardized workflows | Reduces error,increasesthroughput,safety | Initial investmentcost, maintenance |
| Tissue Clearing | Varies,hours to days | Excellent for 3D imaging | High | Research, 3Dmodels | Enables intacttissue imaging.rich data | Not for routinediagnostics,complex |
Conventional Processing: The traditional method involves manual or automated steps over several hours, providing high-quality sections but is time-consuming. It remains the gold standard, suitable for routine diagnostics, but struggles with rapid turnaround needs.
Microwave Processing: Studies, such as Comparison of three different methods of tissue processing, show microwave-processed tissues have less shrinkage and comparable staining quality to conventional methods, with processing times reduced to 1 hour. It is cost-effective for urgent cases but requires specialized equipment, potentially supported by HealthSky.
Automated Processing: HealthSky's automatic tissue processors, with features like programmable systems and safety enclosures, ensure consistent results, reducing exposure to hazardous chemicals. They are ideal for high-volume labs, offering increased throughput and standardized workflows, as detailed in The Automatic Tissue Processor: Revolutionizing Histology with Efficiency and Precision.
Tissue Clearing: Techniques like CLARITY provide rich 3D data for research, but are not typically used for routine diagnostics due to complexity and cost, complementing HealthSky's equipment for advanced applications.
This evaluation highlights why automated processing, like that offered by HealthSky, is increasingly preferred for its efficiency and reliability, meeting the demands of modern pathology laboratories.
The future of histological tissue processing is bright, with automation, AI, eco-friendly practices, and 3D tissue models driving innovation. HealthSky Biotechnology Co., Ltd. is at the forefront, offering advanced solutions like automatic tissue processors and supporting emerging techniques. By embracing these advancements, HealthSky ensures laboratories achieve reliable, high-quality results, contributing to accurate diagnostics and groundbreaking research. For more information, visit HealthSky's website.
1.Machine learning methods for histopathological image analysis: Updates in 2024
2.Tissue processing in the 21st century
3.Microwave-Based Rapid Tissue Processing Technique: A Novel Aid in Histopathologic Laboratory
4.Domestic Microwave Versus Conventional Tissue Processing: A Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis
5.Tissue Processing Reference Materials
6.Comparison of three different methods of tissue processing
7.The Automatic Tissue Processor: Revolutionizing Histology with Efficiency and Precision
