20. 9. 2024

Stopanska banka donated to the Faculty of Medicine

With the visit to the Faculty of Medicine, Stopanska banka AD - Skopje officially announced the donated state-of-the-art technology to the Institute of Pathology. The donation included a specialized scanner for pathohistological samples which, with the help of artificial intelligence and advanced medical software, helps to more accurately and quickly analyze the samples that arrive at the Institute from all clinics and clinical centers in the country. In addition, this equipment will be used for educational purposes, which will raise the Institute's profile among future students and specialists, creating long-term sustainability of the profession.
The donation is part of the activities that the Bank carries out in the year when it celebrates its 80th anniversary, leaving a lasting mark on the community.
The Bank complements the donation with the construction of a modern reading room within the Clinical Center, which students and specialists will be able to use freely during their studies.

Mr. Diomidis Nikoletopoulos, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors at Stopanska banka on the occasion of the donation told the Dean and the representatives of the Institute of Pathology:
"It is a great pleasure and pride for us to be here again, at the university clinics and institutes, continuing our commitment to health as a top priority for every person. Stopanska banka dedicates the donation to dedicated faculty members and students, thereby investing in the quality of medical education in the long term. We believe that the new equipment will encourage the next generations of medical professionals to excel in their studies, benefiting many patients in the future.
A strong health system is the backbone of a prosperous society and as a significant member of the community, we have been connecting Stopanska banka with the continuous strengthening of the system, the economy and the community for 80 years."

Prof. Dr. Svetozar Antovic, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Skopje, thanking the representatives from Stopanska banka said:
"We are honored that we can express our gratitude as a team to Stopanska banka, which approached us for a donation and decided to support the diagnostic activity at the Institute of Pathology with the scanner for pathohistological microscopic preparations. The significance of the donation is most evident through the implementation of digital tools in the field of pathology, i.e. through the increased level of accuracy and the faster preparation of pathohistological findings, which reduces the waiting time for diagnosis, crucial for the treatment of patients from all our clinics.
In addition, this equipment opens space for telepathology, i.e. remote digital consultation with reference centers for certain complex pathological cases, which was not available until now.
As Dean, in addition to the patients of the Clinical Center, my concern is also for the academic staff - professors, students and specialists, so I am also pleased with the fact that, in addition to the equipment, the Bank will also donate a wonderful reading room in the center of the Center intended for generations of students. A sort of home away from home necessary for the long process of educating future top medical personnel, thus creating sustainability of the health system."

About the donation:

The donated scanner is a model called Morpholens6, a product of the renowned digital technology company Morphle Labs whose main office is located in San Francisco, California, USA. Morphle Labs is one of the leading manufacturers of pathohistology slide scanners whose product range includes various models that meet the needs of digital pathology anywhere in the world. The Moprholens6 model is a digital pathohistological slide scanner that can simultaneously scan and digitize 6 pathohistological slides with high resolution. In addition, the scanner has integrated software with artificial intelligence for the analysis and quantitative interpretation of immunohistochemical markers, and its work will initially begin with the analysis of the HER2 marker, which is necessary in the diagnostic protocol of breast and gastric cancers. At the moment at the Institute of Pathology, the mentioned immunohistochemical analysis is performed in such a way that pathologists count at least 4 groups of 100 cells each under a microscope and note the number of positive tumor cells, and express the result as a percentage. The implementation of digital tools in the field of pathology, such as the pathohistological microscope slide scanner, would significantly increase the level of accuracy and speed up the production of pathohistological findings, thereby reducing the waiting time for diagnosis, which is crucial for the treatment of patients and the functionality of all clinics would be improved.
The previously mentioned analyzes are very important in the diagnosis of many malignant diseases, including breast cancers, pancreatic tumors, gastrointestinal and neuroendocrine tumors, skin and blood vessel changes, as well as many other tumors in which, according to standard diagnostic protocols, the indicated immuno-histochemical analyzes are performed.

One of the most important segments of the implementation of the scanner for pathohistological microscopic preparations in pathological practice is the possibility of telepathology, i.e. remote digital consultation with reference centers for certain complex pathological cases, which avoids the need to physically send rare tumor samples for additional expertise in some of the European reference centers, as digitized pathohistological preparations would be available for remote analysis.
With this donation and the conducted thorough training for the staff of the Institute of Pathology, the functionality of diagnostics related to all University clinics will be significantly improved.