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A revolution in histopathology education

NanoZoomer Casestudy ULB01

Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) scanner also known as virtual microscopy is rapidly proving to be a useful tool in research and academia. Histopathological preparations are digitalized and can be shared simultaneously across an entire classroom of students. Using those shared information facilitates interactions with the teacher and among students, directly improving their ability to learn. This technology transforms the educational process by enabling the possibility to screen share but also to mark or annotate and more. Universities are making the change from traditional microscopes to implement this revolutionary way of teaching, especially in the field of histopathology education.

These teaching transitions vary depending on the educational situation and often need support. The teaching of histology at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) is delivered to around 800 students of various disciplines (Medicine, veterinary medicine, dentistry, biomedical sciences, physiotherapy, …). The implementation of virtual microscopy in the Faculty of Medicine at ULB was a step-by-step process over time, which ended with their whole equipment being installed in-house.

For a number of years, the histology teachers relied on an external facility who provided them with scanned slides, used for their teaching and sometimes research. These slides were first converted into tiles by an in-house solution, and then added to their online learning platform Moodle, where they were visualized through the application Zoomify. However, this process was far from ideal based on the reliance of using an external facility. In addition, the teachers wished to further increase their flexibility concerning image sizing, storage capacity, user’s rights and function availability. That is why they sought another solution in association with the Moodle platform. By doing so, they hoped to achieve a smoother process to save time in class preparations.

The right combination between hardware and software

Pascale Lybaert, DVM, PhD, responsible for histology course in the Veterinary Medicine curriculum sought a cost efficient, smoother and more versatile workflow to improve the autonomous work from students to support the theoretical approach given ex-cathedra to vet students. Dr. Lybaert knew Hamamatsu Photonics’ NanoZoomer whole slide scanners well and was confident in the quality of the digital images for her classes. Combined with the right software, this solution would alleviate some of her unnecessary time-consuming workload.

The appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly accelerated the requirement for an updated integrative workflow as very suddenly, universities were forced to teach at a distance. The educational field had to adapt quickly to continue providing classes for their students. Microscopes were no longer an option in this situation, digital scanners however, proved ideal for distance learning. Since the preparation is digitalized completely, it can be shared instantly and can replace the in-person microscopic observation, allowing all classes to continue undisrupted from home.

Therefore, Dr. Lybaert approached Hamamatsu Photonics and ended-up picking from the whole slide scanners series, the NanoZoomer^®-SQ , which best suited her requirements. She enjoyed the benefit of being able to do all of her work from her desk. The NanoZoomer^®-SQ is compact and easy to use wherever you need it to be. As she liked reviewing each slide before her classes, this solution allowed her to do this, right from the comfort of her desk.

NanoZoomer product photo

"Thanks to this new solution, I was able to divide my class into two groups, one remote and one on microscopes. This meant that I could spend quality time with a smaller group of students. It makes a real difference for all of us.”

NanoZoomer Casestudy ULB02

Pascale Lybaert, DVM, PhD

Responsible for histology course in the Veterinary Medicine curriculum
Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)

She placed each glass slide into the device to scan and through the dedicated NZConnect software, she was able to easily create, view and perform quality-checks on whole slide images from her computer. She decided to keep the microscopes for the more practical sessions, when students were able to be present physically, and use the digital scanner for distance learning, practical preparation and homework. This gave her the freedom to approach her teaching methods differently. For example, it allowed her to divide the classroom into groups so she could focus her time on smaller groups of students, enhancing the quality of the teaching experience.

NanoZoomer Casestudy ULB03

On screen visual of a reptile kidney from NanoZoomer^®-SQ scan

This image viewing software combined well with their online teaching management tool, Moodle. It was the perfect extension to manage the digital images for her and her student’s needs. From their computers, the student were able to view and click on the images, add annotations, make measurements etc. This meant that for example, she was able to conduct exams from a distance while ensuring the highest quality data. Finally, as the software is available on PC and Mac and, the number of digital slides stored is unlimited, this made it a flexible and sustainable option for teaching but also research in academia. Indeed, the use of the NanoZoomer^®-SQ was rapidly extended to the digitalization of the histological preparation realized in several research projects of the Research Laboratory on Human Reproduction (lab host of the NanoZoomer^®-SQ) but also a number of other research labs of the ULB Faculty of Medicine. Digitalization allows an effective and comfortable post-examination and analysis of the preparation as well as unlimited storage of those data.

Many universities around the world are transitioning to digital microscopy as a new educative technology to stimulate the learning experience. Easy to use and interactive, it allows for a more collaborative approach and supports a different way of learning, especially for histopathology students.

The NanoZoomer team at Hamamatsu Photonics is delighted to be able to contribute to supporting histopathology research studies in the hope of finding better diagnosis for patients around the world.

About the Research Laboratory on Human Reproduction

Created by Professor Yvon Englert in 1998, the Research Laboratory on Human Reproduction aimed to improve our knowledge on different aspect of male and female reproduction and to improve the diagnosis and treatment of infertility.

During her PhD in the lab, Isabelle Demeestere has pioneered the field of fertility preservation in women during cancer treaments by the cryopreservation of ovarian tissue. She became head of the laboratory in 2016. The research projects of the lab have been focused mainly on the development of innovative approaches to develop fertility preservation strategies and to expand our understanding of male and female reproductive function. Professor Pascale Lybaert joined the lab in 2018 to bring her expertise in male reproduction to expand the scope of fertility preservation to the male partner.

The lab has pioneered in the development of fertility preservation techniques and works on different approaches to improve those techniques in children and young men and women at risk of future infertility due to their diseases (such as genetic or gynecological disorders) or to oncological treatments (such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy). The lab was able to be amongst the earliest innovators in this field thanks to its close collaboration with the Fertility Clinic at Erasme Hospital, and with a multidisciplinary team including technicians, data manager, medical gynecologists, oncologists, and scientists.

Thanks to this expertise, the lab joined the ULB-Research cancer center (U-CRC) that gathers over 190 scientists and physicians from 19 groups working on various aspects of cancer research.

NanoZoomer Casestudy ULB04