The purpose of the present project is to demonstrate the feasibility of using a novel RFID chip to tag and track tissue cassettes and glass slides that are used in histopathology laboratories. The system is based on the PharmaSeq laser light-activated microtransponder, also known as """"""""p-Chip"""""""". The chip's major advantages are its small size (500 5m x 500 5m x 100 5m), monolithic (one part) design, inertness (silica-based), ease of use and very low cost. The system consists of the tag itself, the tag reader, and associated software. The p-Chips will be mounted on or just under the surface of each storage device in such a manner that they can be rapidly read with a tag reader, which will then associate the slide or cassette with the material placed on/in it using a database. The main goals of the project are to: 1) optimize the design for attaching p- Chips to the storage containers, 2) design a form factor for reading each type of container, 3) determining the stability of the tagged cassettes and slides to common solvents and reagents used in tissue storage environment, and 4) conduct extensive testing both in-house and with outside collaborators and receive feedback for design improvements. The adoption of the system will improve reliability for tagging and tracking biorepository samples.
Pathology specimens play an important role in research and medical practice and are stored in vast quantities in various repositories. The new PharmaSeq system has the potential to greatly improve the reliability of maintaining the providence for large numbers of samples using a new type of electronic identification system. Cancer research will particularly benefit.
