Platform · How it works
The same tissue, read by its chemistry
Digistain measures the tumour’s biochemistry directly from tissue. The sample is the one already taken during surgery.
Left: a stained tissue section. Right: a Digistain mid-infrared chemical image.
Step by step
From tissue section to result
Tissue section
Unstained sections are cut from the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) surgical resection sample.
Spectral measurement
Mid-infrared spectroscopy measures chemical moieties such as phosphate and amide across the tissue.
Chemical ratio
The Digistain Index gives the nuclear-to-cytoplasmic chemical ratio, which reflects aneuploidy.
Result
Product software turns the measurement into a result for the clinical team. For Digistain Breast, a prognostic recurrence-risk score.
Running a Digistain analysis in the laboratory.
Delivery
Where the test runs
Hospitals and laboratories can run the test and issue results themselves, or use Digistain’s laboratory service.
Turnaround for Digistain Breast. Results usually within one to two days of the sample reaching the laboratory. Usually three to four days including shipping, depending on courier and customs.
The paper describing the method notes an inexpensive spectrometer and no costly reagents.