NeoPlacer

“Is it malignant?” is the key question in clinical pathology. Answering this question is particularly challenging in cytopathology due to a small amount of the material, and during the intraoperative consultation because of the inability to perform a wide range of ancillary tests.

NeoPlacer™ (pat. pend.) is a novel device to separate cancer cells from healthy cells on a microscope slide. The device consists of an eccentric vibrator, coupled microscope slide holder, and a voltage source. In this case, the microscope slide is covered with a transparent electrically conductive layer connected to the voltage source. When processing the cytological specimen, the device takes advantage of a negative electrical charge of cancer cells. During vibrations, it creates a negative electrical potential on the slide, which pushes cancer cells away from its surface. As a result, these cells move further and eventually separate from healthy cells.

Apart from the cell separation, NeoPlacer™ provides additional benefits. In contrast to classic cytology smear, the device eliminates crush artifacts and reduces the empty spaces between cells. In contrast to liquid-based cytology (LBC), it preserves the diagnostically invaluable spatial arrangements of cells. Finally, since it is compatible with histology tissue cassettes, it enables creation of cytoblocks for further molecular and genetic testing.

Today’s cytopathology is often called “the art & science”. NeoPlacer™ is designed to make the diagnosis more accurate, accelerate pathologists’ workflow, and ultimately separate art from science. In the future, it may also contribute to successful adaptation of AI in cytopathology, which still requires high-quality pathology slide preparation and accurate machine training.