TY - JOUR
T1 - Electronic p-Chip-based system for identification of glass slides and tissue cassettes in histopathology laboratories
AU - Mandecki, Wlodek
AU - Qian, Jay
AU - Gedzberg, Katie
AU - Gruda, Maryanne
AU - Rodriguez, Efrain
AU - Nesbitt, Leslie
AU - Riben, Michael
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Dr. Richard G. Morris for reviewing the manuscript and his thoughtful comments. The study design, data collection and analysis were supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (1R44CA163008 to WM).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Journal of Pathology Informatics.
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - Background: The tagging system is based on a small, electronic, wireless, laser-light-activated microtransponder named 'p-Chip.' The p-Chip is a silicon integrated circuit, the size of which is 600 μm × 600 μm × 100 μm. Each p-Chip contains a unique identification code stored within its electronic memory that can be retrieved with a custom reader. These features allow the p-Chip to be used as an unobtrusive and scarcely noticeable ID tag on glass slides and tissue cassettes. Methods: The system is comprised of p-Chip-tagged sample carriers, a dedicated benchtop p-Chip ID reader that can accommodate both objects, and an additional reader (the Wand), with an adapter for reading IDs of glass slides stored vertically in drawers. On slides, p-Chips are attached with adhesive to the center of the short edge, and on cassettes-embedded directly into the plastic. ID readout is performed by bringing the reader to the proximity of the chip. Standard histopathology laboratory protocols were used for testing. Results: Very good ID reading efficiency was observed for both glass slides and cassettes. When processed slides are stored in vertical filing drawers, p-Chips remain readable without the need to remove them from the storage location, thereby improving the speed of searches in collections. On the cassettes, the ID continues to be readable through a thin layer of paraffin. Both slides and tissue cassettes can be read with the same reader, reducing the need for redundant equipment. Conclusions: The p-Chip is stable to all chemical challenges commonly used in the histopathology laboratory, tolerates temperature extremes, and remains durable in long-term storage. The technology is compatible with laboratory information management systems software systems. The p-Chip system is very well suited for identification of glass slides and cassettes in the histopathology laboratory.
AB - Background: The tagging system is based on a small, electronic, wireless, laser-light-activated microtransponder named 'p-Chip.' The p-Chip is a silicon integrated circuit, the size of which is 600 μm × 600 μm × 100 μm. Each p-Chip contains a unique identification code stored within its electronic memory that can be retrieved with a custom reader. These features allow the p-Chip to be used as an unobtrusive and scarcely noticeable ID tag on glass slides and tissue cassettes. Methods: The system is comprised of p-Chip-tagged sample carriers, a dedicated benchtop p-Chip ID reader that can accommodate both objects, and an additional reader (the Wand), with an adapter for reading IDs of glass slides stored vertically in drawers. On slides, p-Chips are attached with adhesive to the center of the short edge, and on cassettes-embedded directly into the plastic. ID readout is performed by bringing the reader to the proximity of the chip. Standard histopathology laboratory protocols were used for testing. Results: Very good ID reading efficiency was observed for both glass slides and cassettes. When processed slides are stored in vertical filing drawers, p-Chips remain readable without the need to remove them from the storage location, thereby improving the speed of searches in collections. On the cassettes, the ID continues to be readable through a thin layer of paraffin. Both slides and tissue cassettes can be read with the same reader, reducing the need for redundant equipment. Conclusions: The p-Chip is stable to all chemical challenges commonly used in the histopathology laboratory, tolerates temperature extremes, and remains durable in long-term storage. The technology is compatible with laboratory information management systems software systems. The p-Chip system is very well suited for identification of glass slides and cassettes in the histopathology laboratory.
KW - Barcode
KW - biobank
KW - biorepository
KW - identification
KW - microtransponder
KW - radio frequency identification
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U2 - 10.4103/jpi.jpi_64_17
DO - 10.4103/jpi.jpi_64_17
M3 - Article
C2 - 29692946
AN - SCOPUS:85059470826
SN - 2229-5089
VL - 9
JO - Journal of Pathology Informatics
JF - Journal of Pathology Informatics
IS - 1
M1 - 9
ER -