The Pathologist

Credit: Stockport NHS Foundation Trust Walking into the pathology department at the Stockport National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust feels a little like stepping back in time. In an unassuming corner of the northwest of England, this single story, red brick building dates back to the early 1900s. In the cramped corridors and poky rooms, "storage" amounts to piles of boxes stacked among the analyzers and equipment.

As AI-only biomarker tests begin to hit the market, the urgency for digitally enabled pathology labs increases. But is the digital infrastructure mature enough to support them? We asked four experts from clinical pathology, digital pathology, and AI development to share their insights on the AI-readiness of labs today. Part two of their discussion reveals what can go wrong when data quality is poor, how to build scalable systems, and why stakeholder collaboration will be the key to digital success.

Alexandra "Ali" Brown trained in anatomic and clinical pathology before completing fellowships in surgical pathology and breast cancer. At MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, she became the first pathologist to undertake the Susan G. Komen Interdisciplinary Breast Cancer Fellowship, a program that divided her time between pathology and specialties including surgical oncology, medical oncology, palliative care, and patient advocacy.

Long before he began exploring the possibilities of AI, pathology, and precision medicine, Luis Cano experienced healthcare from the other side. As a child oncology patient in provincial Peru, he spent years making seven-hour journeys to Lima for specialist care – an experience that would help inspire a career in medicine.

Credit: Adobe Stock Desiccation caused DNA damage in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and increased the frequency of rifampin-resistant bacteria recovered in laboratory testing, according to a study published in Nature Microbiology. The findings suggest that drying during aerosol formation may influence bacterial genetic diversity and the types of resistance mutations that persist during transmission.

A microneedle patch measured a kidney injury biomarker in dermal interstitial fluid and remained functional following exposure to high temperatures, according to a study published in Advanced Materials. The patch detects neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, a protein that increases following renal tubular injury.

A genome-scale screen of primary human CD4-positive T cells mapped how individual genes regulate immune responses at rest and following stimulation, according to a study published in Cell. Researchers combined CRISPR interference with single-cell RNA sequencing in approximately 22 million cells from four healthy blood donors. The resulting data linked gene activity to cytokine production, T cell states, lymphocyte counts, and genetic susceptibility to autoimmune disease.

At this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, the atmosphere inside Chicago’s McCormick Place reflected more than the scale of one of oncology’s most important global gatherings: it captured the accelerating transformation of cancer care. As thousands of clinicians, researchers, industry leaders, and innovators came together to discuss the future of oncology, one message was unmistakable.

Sakura Finetek Europe has launched a new European network for early-career pathologists and emerging pathology leaders, with the aim of fostering collaboration between industry and laboratories and supporting the future development of pathology and cancer diagnostics. The Sakura Pathology Network (SPN) was officially launched on September 14 at the European Congress of Pathology 2026 in Stockholm.

Patricia Switten Nielsen shares how epidermal CD271 expression outperformed Ki67 and PRAME for diagnosing challenging melanocytic lesions, in a study presented at ECP 2026. Patricia Switten Nielsen is Assistant Professor at the Core Center for Molecular Morphology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark. The following transcript has been edited for clarity.