The Comparative Pathology Core (CPC) is an established core facility within the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine that has been integrated into the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC). As a Shared Resource for the ACC, the CPC received an outstanding rating by the National Cancer Institute, and was recommended for full Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) funding. The main objective of the CPC is to provide skillful interpretation of lesions in animal models. This is best achieved by board-certified veterinary pathologists who have specific training in comparative pathology and animal models. The CPC supports the Penn research community by training investigators in proper autopsy techniques and tissue collection, consulting about study design, and performing comprehensive slide evaluations with subjective and objective assessments. The CPC also provides a unique mouse phenotyping service for investigators developing novel therapies or models with unknown phenotypes and biological consequences. Users of the CPC comprise over 100 researchers from across Penn's campus, including the Medical School, Veterinary School, Engineering School, ACC, Wistar and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Since its inception in 2014, efforts by the CPC have contributed to multiple manuscripts and successful grant applications.
We aim to expand the services and capabilities of the CPC through the purchase of a digital slide scanner and advanced whole slide image analysis system. No similar scanner and comprehensive analysis package exists on Penn's campus for shared research: The scanners that are currently installed on campus are generally inaccessible, low-throughput, and most significantly are not operated within a core that integrates the expertise of board-certified veterinary pathologists. The requested scanner will provide whole slide brightfield and fluorescence imaging of tissues and comes configured with a server and sophisticated database management system for central storage, analysis, and sharing. The system is fully integrated with whole slide imaging software, which will allow the CPC to offer state-of-the-art quantitative analysis of subcellular structures, cells, and tissues, and has the capability to perform a range of analyses that could not realistically be done manually, including but not limited to: individual cell or area quantification, pattern recognition, and microvessel density. Additionally, this instrument will add to the capability of the Penn Vet Imaging Core, which serves more than 65 users across campus by providing advanced biomedical imaging infrastructure and expertise.
The aim is to improve the capability of the Penn Comparative Pathology Core through the purchase of a digital slide scanner, accompanying data management system and server, and image analysis software. These technologies, in combination with the expertise of the core's board-certified veterinary pathologists and the imaging and image analysis experts in the Penn Vet Imaging Core, are not currently available on campus and will greatly enhance the important work of Penn biomedical researchers studying spontaneous and experimental models of disease.
