Fujifilm Enters Digital Pathology Space with Acquisition of Inspirata

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 22 Dec 2022

Image: Dynamyx is FDA’s first and only clearance for digital pathology software with multiple scanners (Photo courtesy of Inspirata)

Digital pathology is the digitization of pathology slides to conduct software visualization analysis of a specimen rather than using microscopic slides. With a specialty as image and data heavy as pathology, digitization is key. Pathologists, clinicians, patients, researchers and biopharma companies alike may see benefits such as improved and more efficient workflows, enhanced collaboration, remote and centralized interpretation, faster patient results, overall cost savings, ROI, and increased precision of diagnosis. Now, FUJIFILM Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire the global digital pathology business of Inspirata, Inc. (Tampa, FL, USA). The addition of digital pathology will expand Fujifilm’s robust Synapse Enterprise Imaging offering to enable the integration of pathology images and data into a healthcare organization’s electronic health record system and help to streamline care delivery for oncology patients and provider teams.

Dynamyx is an open, vendor-agnostic, end-to-end digital pathology solution. Dynamyx’s software capabilities include using whole slide images from multiple scanning vendors to create an easier path for more pathology labs to digitize and realize the benefits of faster patient results, centralized imaging records, and enterprise access to images for all clinicians. It is installed in medical facilities that handle large volumes of pathological images across multiple lab locations, allowing the use of their preferred mix of laboratory and diagnostic technologies with confidence of full compatibility. Upon completion of the asset purchase agreement, Inspirata's Dynamyx digital pathology technology, employees and customers will become part of Fujifilm. Building off the success of its established partnership with Inspirata, this acquisition marks Fujifilm’s full-scale, global entry into the largely unpenetrated digital pathology market, where 85% of U.S., 86% of European, and 90% of Asian healthcare organizations are still running on analog.

Dynamyx will become part of Fujifilm’s Synapse Enterprise Imaging portfolio – an award-winning suite of healthcare IT solutions that unify imaging, data access and workflows across the health system. With the addition of digital pathology, Fujifilm will offer one of the most comprehensive enterprise imaging portfolios on the market consisting of a Best in KLAS winning VNA, Radiology PACS, and Cardiology PACS, as well as an enterprise information system, cloud services, and 3D advanced visualization. Future releases of Dynamyx will also create opportunities for Fujifilm to support pharmaceutical and contract research organizations with toxicity testing data management for drug development.

“Acquiring Inspirata’s digital pathology business allows Fujifilm to be an even stronger healthcare partner – bridging a technological gap between pathology, radiology and oncology to facilitate a more collaborative approach to care delivery across the enterprise,” said Teiichi Goto, president and CEO, representative director, FUJIFILM Corporation. “We’re thrilled to welcome Inspirata’s digital pathology experts to Fujifilm’s growing medical informatics business, along with their renowned global customer base, as together we work to drive the digitization and advancement of healthcare.”

“A USD 320 million global industry in 2021 projected to reach USD 640 million by 2025, the rising number of cancer cases and the demonstrated benefits of digital pathology are fueling significant demand and market growth in the hospital and pharmaceutical industries,” added Henry Izawa, president and CEO, FUJIFILM Healthcare Americas Corporation. “These evolving clinical needs fuel Fujifilm’s investment and innovation in the digital revolution, and we look forward to introducing Dynamyx and its host of unique features and benefits to our Synapse customers and prospects as we strive to enable more efficient medical diagnosis and high-quality care.”

“Since launching our European partnership with Inspirata three years ago, we’ve seen great success implementing our combined technologies in several healthcare organizations, notably in the UK,” said Masa Fukumoto, managing director, FUJIFILM Healthcare Europe and senior vice president FUJIFILM Medical Systems Europe. “We've received feedback from customers anticipating digitizing pathology will be the most transformative thing they do for their practice, and we look forward to continuing our global expansion.”

Related Links:
FUJIFILM Corporation
Inspirata, Inc.