Precision Medicine Starts With Preanalytics: Real-Time Assessment of Tissue Fixation Quality by Ultrasound...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Pathology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Personalized medicine requires high-quality clinical specimens for accurate diagnosis and treatment.
• Preanalytical variables, particularly tissue fixation, significantly impact diagnostic and molecular assay results.
• Current methods lack standardization and tools to quantify tissue fixation quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel method for real-time monitoring and quantification of tissue fixation.
• To assess the impact of fixation on various human tissue types.
• To establish a quantifiable metric for tissue fixation quality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a novel real-time ultrasound time-of-flight instrument to monitor formalin diffusion into tissue.
• Analyzed hundreds of specimens from 34 human tissue types and 12 diseased tissues.
• Correlated ultrasound-derived diffusivity constants with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements.

Main Results:

• The ultrasound time-of-flight instrument provides a quantifiable metric for tissue fixation quality.
• Measurements showed a strong correlation (R=0.83) with MRI-derived apparent diffusion constants.
• Developed a rapid fixation program based on time-of-flight analysis data.

Conclusions:

• The novel ultrasound method offers a biophysically plausible and reliable way to assess tissue fixation.
• This technology can ensure consistent tissue quality for downstream molecular assays.
• The developed rapid fixation program enhances diagnostic accuracy across diverse human tissues.