The Future of Specimen Handling Is Integrated, Standardized, and Technology-Driven

 

Madison Heights, MI – [November 19, 2025] – As pathology continues its rapid transition toward digital workflows and AI-powered diagnostics, the need to strengthen the earliest phases of the laboratory process has never been more urgent. The pre-analytic and grossing stages play a defining role in tissue integrity, forming the foundation for diagnostic accuracy well before the slide is created. Reinforcing these phases through consistent specimen handling and integrated documentation is essential for delivering the precision modern diagnostics require. 

Technology at Specimen Handling: A New Standard of Documentation
One of the most significant advances highlighted in the Mopec–Lumea partnership is the integration of Lumea’s BxCamera into the Mopec Maestro Encore grossing station. Built directly into the grossing workflow, this imaging technology integrates seamlessly into routine lab processes, elevating documentation without adding steps or equipment. For those of us in the field, this represents a meaningful shift: we now have tools that support, standardize, and elevate the work Pathologists’ Assistants have always done to safeguard specimen integrity. 

The embedded camera streamlines documentation: automating measurements, capturing identifiers, and linking images effortlessly to the patient’s record. This supports modern pathology’s push toward full digital integration. 

This advancement ushers in a new phase of innovation for specimen handling, connecting technology more seamlessly than ever before. Automated imaging and measurement reduce variability between operators, improve traceability, and create a documentation standard that elevates communication and downstream diagnostic confidence. 

 

Bridging the Gap from Point of Care to Grossing
Even with integrated technology at the grossing bench, one of the longstanding challenges in pathology occurs before the specimen ever reaches the lab. The time between tissue collection and arrival at grossing has been described as a “watershed” period where variability in fixation, orientation, or handling can significantly impact diagnostic outcomes. 

This is where Lumea’s consumable technologies, particularly the BxBoard and biosimilar BxChip, play a critical role. These tools help maintain tissue orientation, protect architecture, reduce fragmentation, and preserve the clinical reality surgeons expect to see reflected in the pathology report. 

In prostate biopsies, tissue core integrity is essential. The biosimilar polymer used in Lumea’s biopsy chip expands and contracts with tissue processing, maintaining structural integrity throughout the workflow. This enables clearer evaluation, reduces diagnostic ambiguity, and ultimately contributes to more accurate diagnoses and treatment decisions.

It All Begins with the Patient
 No matter how advanced digital pathology becomes, whether through whole-slide imaging, AI-driven analytics, or enhanced molecular testing, one truth remains unchanged: patient tissue integrity is the foundation of diagnostic excellence. 

Everything downstream depends on what arrives at the grossing bench. Accurate orientation, preservation of tumor markers, and documentation of prognostically significant macroscopic data influence how confidently a diagnosis can be made. The technologies emerging today do not replace the expertise of PAs or pathologists; rather, they reinforce the standards our profession has upheld for decades while giving us better tools to protect every specimen entrusted to us. 

As integrated systems, intelligent collection tools, and automated documentation become standard practice, the future of grossing will be more accurate, more reproducible, and more aligned with the needs of modern patient care.