Deciphex announced the launch of Diagnexia, the company’s remote diagnostic service, in the U.S. as workforce shortages continue to slow the speed of medical care and cripple rural healthcare.
The Dublin-based digital pathology software and services company said its service provides on-demand access to remote pathology consultations. Through Diagnexia, laboratories can tap into an international network of pathology specialists. The platform provides primary diagnostic and secondary consult services to decrease diagnostic turnaround times, allow clinicians to work to the top of their license and address a graying pathology workforce. The tool functions similarly to Deciphex’s research pathology platform, Patholytix.
“We’re looking at providing access to high-quality expert opinions,” said Donal O'Shea, CEO at Deciphex. “Our business model is based on aggregating best-in-class talent across multiple institutions. Providing that through a single access point to the marketplace gives us something that’s very unique and at peer level with any of the big academic centers in the U.S. but with turnaround times and responsiveness that exceeds any of their capability, because ultimately, we’re running on a digital platform.”
The announcement follows on the heels of Deciphex raising $11.5 million in series B funding in May. The company was backed by ACT Venture Capital with support from Charles River Laboratories, Novartis, IRRUS Investments, Nextsteps Capital, HBAN Medtech Syndicate and other current investors. Funds are being used to develop Deciphex’s team of pathologists and expand its reach in the U.S., the U.K., Canada and the Middle East.
Pathologists are in high demand worldwide, according to O’Shea, with a notable lack in subspecialties. Even if a health organization is in an academic center, it may not have access to the specialized pathologists it needs.
For organizations outside a healthcare hub where specialists can be found, like in rural areas, “hallway consultations” between experts often are not possible. A digital platform may help with the continued focus on improving rural healthcare and increasing quality and speed of care for rural populations.
“Pathology is a very physical process; we’re still dealing with viewing very thin sections of tissue on a piece of glass," O'Shea said. “Largely speaking, when one seeks a second opinion, those materials get put in a box and shipped around. Through the power of digital pathology and a high-quality network of pathologists, we’re able to rapidly digitally integrate that data into our network and provide the case to the relevant pathologists without compromising quality.”
O’Shea points out the tedious tasks in pathologizing, such as counting cells. He says Diagnexia simplifies this tedium so medical professionals can work to the top of their licenses. With a pathology workforce that is expected to significantly decrease over the next 10 years, he foresees more digital pathology work expanding.
Diagnexia is already used by the U.K.’s National Health Service, and its parent company is a key member of Big Picture, an EU-funded initiative to grow the world's largest centralized store of digital pathology slides in service of AI development. Deciphex already boasts alliances throughout the globe including with the Chicago-based GI Partners of Illinois LLC.
In 2020, Deciphex also announced a partnership with contract research organization Charles River Laboratories to co-develop AI tools to accelerate drug safety assessment.