Inspirata Acquires Omnyx

News today from two of the biggest names in digital pathology. In the past six years or so we have seen Roche acquire BioImagene, Aperio get acquired by Leica Biosystems and Philips acquire PathXL. Two of those being examples of large international IVD companies purchasing primarily scanner companies (I realize they both had some workflow as well) and then another international electronics and consumer health company purchasing a software company. Now we see an example of a software/informatics company purchasing a scanner company (again I realize they have their own workflow applications as the other “scanner” companies).

The value proposition for the IVD companies was to buy versus build their own digital pathology solutions. Acquire proven technology, assets and an install base. Philips acquiring PathXL provided Philips an educational platform and its install base among other assets.

Now we see Inspirata acquiring technology that has CE mark in Europe and approval in Canada for IVD use, increasing Inspirata’s “geographic footprint” and adding to Inspirata’s SaaS approach. For Omnyx, there is the opportunity to combine Inspirata’s solution for their existing customers.

The common denominator here appears to be providing “scanner agnostic”, “device agnostic” and “application agnostic” solutions for both companies.

For software companies in digital pathology it is common and I think required to be “vendor agnostic” when it comes to scanning devices and image formats. This historically has been the case and will remain so. We have also seen in recent years, including Omnyx, and the companies mentioned previously, traditional “hardware” companies to view other image formats other than their own.

I think this latest acquisition will continue to make that case as the companies mention in the full press release. “Software” and/or “workflow” solutions providers need to remain agnostic to hardware just as “hardware” solutions providers need to recognize the need for software and workflow solutions that are not innate to their own solutions.

Ultimately, this approach will further the adoption of digital pathology.

I have reached out to Inspirata and Omnyx for additional comments on this acquisition and hope to share those with you soon.

Inspirata Acquires Digital Pathology Company Omnyx, Enabling Delivery of an IVD Device for Primary Diagnosis in Europe and Canada 

Inspirata to reignite Dynamyx^® software platform, ensuring commitments to existing customers while positioning the business for global expansion

Tampa, FL, January 31, 2018 – Cancer informatics and digital pathology workflow solution provider Inspirata^®, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Pittsburgh, PA-based Omnyx from GE Healthcare.

Omnyx was an early innovator in bringing brilliant software to pathology departments around the world. The company’s flagship digital pathology software product, Dynamyx^™, enhances the pathology workflow by providing new channels for collaboration and tools to boost efficiency. Combined with Inspirata’s solution-as-a service approach, Dynamyx eases adoption challenges and empowers pathologists. The software is CE-marked in Europe and licensed by Health Canada for in vitro diagnostic (IVD) use.

“The acquisition of Omnyx positions Inspirata with the most comprehensive digital pathology workflow solution in the world,” says Inspirata CEO Satish Sanan. “It brings us the last mile to reach our goal of having an end-to-end integrated pathology solution with a scanner-agnostic whole slide image viewer and image management system. It also gives us a fully supported IVD device cleared for primary digital diagnosis in Europe and Canada, and it expands our customer base and geographic footprint across those countries.”

Inspirata plans to retain Omnyx’ office and its employees. The company will use this location and the resources to create a center of excellence for ongoing digital pathology software development. “Our short-term plan is to rapidly combine the advantages of our digital pathology software platform and the Dynamyx platform by converging them onto a shared, state-of-the-art technology stack,” continues Sanan.

“Inspirata has shown a strong commitment to promoting the adoption of digital pathology to improve cancer diagnostics,” says Omnyx CEO Andrew Chomos. “By combining our platforms, we will be able to offer a device and application agnostic solution in both Europe and Canada that can integrate with pathology departments’ existing hardware and health information systems.”

About Inspirata, Inc.

Inspirata^®, Inc. offers the most comprehensive cancer diagnostics workflow solution available for precision diagnosis today. The solution, which employs a unique “solution-as-a-service” business and delivery model, accelerates anatomic and molecular pathology workflows and facilitates whole slide imaging and image analytics, prognostic and predictive assays, remote consultations and tumor boards. This comprehensive solution includes an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) to help to solve interoperability issues and a Natural Language Processing Engine (NLP) for structuring data. Inspirata amalgamates this structured data into a central multi-institutional and multi-modal big data cancer repository for clinical, research and educational purposes. Its use will extend to physicians, patients, researchers and pharma among others. This comprehensive solution facilitates a modern precision diagnosis to build a strong foundation for precision medicine. For more information, please visit www.inspirata.com or contact info@inspirata.com.

About Omnyx, LLC

Omnyx^®, LLC, a digital pathology venture of GE Healthcare, has helped transform the way pathologists worldwide work and collaborate. Through its Precision Solution^™ that includes the brilliant Dynamyx^® software and transformative consulting, all members of the cancer care team can work together to enhance patient outcomes. Dynamyx goes beyond simple image viewing and evaluation. It streamlines case management and communication among the entire care team while providing a foundation for image analysis algorithms to enable pathologists to gain deeper insights into patients’ cancers. The open platform features bi-directional enterprise connectivity, which helps to eliminate manual tasks and reduce errors. The Omnyx vision is a world in which efficient and effective cancer diagnosis helps guide personalized patient care. Omnyx products are for in vitro diagnostic use for specific clinical applications and are intended for research use only on other applications.

All trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

Source: Inspirata