xPert for Murine Pathology™
xPert for Murine Pathology is currently in development with domain experts from mTuitive?s partner institutions.  It starts with a set of standard xPert report templates, authored by field experts and created from accepted protocols.  Researchers follow the protocols and capture the data for their reports.  The reports are translated into agreed upon ontologies and these datasets from reports are stored along side respective images for data analysis.

The Complete Solution

xPert for Murine Pathology is combined with a colony management system and an image archive system.  The image archive system coordinates the ability to store and retrieve filmless images in a way that delivers exceptional speed, security and quality of the images.  New technologies allow for digital images to be stored.

A colony management system is necessary to track detailed data for all of the transgenic mice being studied.

mTuitive believes this could easily serve as the human pathology system model for the future.

Benefits

The characterization and application of mouse models in human cancer research has become increasingly important to the scientific community.  Data collected from the molecular, structural and functional characteristics of mice models must be matched with the characteristics of human disease, in this case cancers. Describing phenotypes of mutant mice in a standard, structured manner that will facilitate data mining is a major challenge for bioinformatics.  Currently, there is no correlation of the manners in which pathologic data is collected from mice and from humans. 

The use of a standard ontology is necessary to map data from one species to the next.  Analysis of datasets from mouse models requires data mining.  Data mining requires a controlled vocabulary, or ontology.  Structuring the capture of data ensures controlled vocabulary.  Additionally, the validation investigators seek goes beyond the diagnostic vocabulary to more detailed characteristics of the tumors.  xPert for Murine Pathology can automatically transform findings into a standard ontology and will be designed to ensure these detailed characteristics are captured and stored for data analysis as well.

The complete system will provide the ability to store and retrieve all research datasets about mice, including a variety of image modalities such as whole slide, radiology, gels, micro-arrays, and more, analogous to an Electronic Medical Record for humans.  The system will begin collecting data on cancer and eventually extend into all areas of disease research and drug testing. 

This complete and structured organization of data and images will improve scientists? capabilities in disease investigation.