The long-term goal of this project is to develop a novel Virtual Slidebox of Comparative Cancer Pathology using emerging virtual slide technology as its centerpiece. This Web-accessible research-related resource will expand the current knowledge base of the biomedical research community about individual cancer sub-types across species, it will also serve as a resource for investigators to compare specific spontaneous, induced, and genetically engineered animal cancers with human cancer and with normal tissues. This project will be piloted with a unit on hematopoietic neoplasms starting with lymphomas. Virtual slide technology consists of creating a digital replica of the content of a whole glass microscope slide and displaying and manipulating it on the computer, thus closely emulating examining a slide with a traditional microscope. The most novel aspect of the project will be the ability to search for and view any combination of two virtual cancer slides or normal histology slides in the database and view and manipulate them side by side on the computer screen. The pilot will contain 200 virtual slides of lymphomas from laboratory rodents and large animals, which will be annotated with their immunological and molecular characteristics, literature references to pathogenesis, and arrow overlays pointing out characteristic morphological features. The project will be carried out at the UI Department of Pathology. Animal model cancer slides will be submitted by collaborators in laboratory animal repositories, and in veterinary departments of pathology. Once the database structure, Web interface, and content for the pilot project is developed and validated, it will not only be a resource for the lymphoma research community, but will also serve as a model for the applicants and other investigators to add subsequent cancer units. Additionally, the project will provide a model for investigators to create derivative virtual slide databases for other disease systems or animal models, and create databases for Web-based publishing of extended visual materials in the form of annotated virtual slides.
