GE Healthcare has announced a strategic collaboration between its digital pathology joint venture, Omnyx, and its diagnostic laboratory services company, Clarient Diagnostic Services.

Clarient will soon begin to integrate the Omnyx proprietary software platform into its current laboratory.

"The clinical reality is that fighting cancer begins with an accurate diagnosis," said Dr Kenneth J Bloom, chief medical officer of Clarient. He added, "Cancer diagnosis and treatment is most effective as it becomes more personalized - and that means the role of the pathologist is crucial. By teaming up with Omnyx, we are helping to ensure that regardless of location or the size of the pathology lab in your hospital, a pathologist has a network that can discuss and help them identify the characteristics of a tumor, and offer more personalized diagnoses and treatments."

Omnyx and Clarient will create a central resource of diagnostic technologies, including molecular signatures, bio-markers and precision analytics, so pathologists can help better identify trends and collaborate with one another to compare readings.

"As pathologists take on greater workloads, the emerging field of digital pathology allows them to review cases jointly, more quickly and more accurately thanks to collaborative input from peers across the globe. Our Clarient and Omnyx alliance will provide pathologists with state-of-the art testing and diagnostic services to bring digital solutions as a mainstream offering in the healthcare world," said Mr Mamar Gelaye, CEO of Omnyx.