TMAJ: Database and Software Tools to Manage Tissue Microarrays (Copyright only)
Tissue micro-array based biomarkers studies involve large datasets of clinical, specimen, and image data that require effective data entry, storage, management, and querying tools. An integrated set of software tools have been developed to manage clinical data, pathology data, and image data for arrayed samples. Tools are provided for web-based TMA design, data entry and construction of arrays, direct import of images, display and diagnosis of digital images of arrayed samples and export of all data for analysis by separate software packages such as those for statistical analysis. This is the first system designed to accommodate all aspects of TMA data handling in an integrated fashion including: TMA design, pathology and clinical data entry, user permission assignments, TMA image import, TMA image scoring, linking of TMA images for convenient online browsing, TMA image publishing. The system allows unlimited data recording from multiple organ systems and is the first to allow a flexible structure that allows users to define data fields that are dynamically added to the underlying enterprise level relational database. The database and software have extensive security features built in and are compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Description (Set) The inventors have developed a relational database and an integrated collection of software tools (TMAJ) to manage and query the entire range of tissue microarray data. The TMAJ database and graphical user interface provides a flexible platform for entry and storage of a wide variety of information from multiple organ systems related to tissue microarray (TMA) samples including: patient clinical data, surgical pathology specimens, pathology donor tissue blocks, TMA cores, recipient block (TMA) information, TMA core digital images, and pathological diagnoses and scoring of biomarker expression levels within these images over the Internet using a variety of scoring strategies. The data structure is compatible with the Tissue Microarray Data Exchange Specification. Once completed, a user may decide to publish TMA data associated with a given study, which makes the session?s images, diagnoses and scoring data publicly available. The database has built in security features designed to be compliant with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and administrative features of TMAJ handles user permissions to various types of TMA data. Proposed Use (Set) This software would be useful for any institution or company planning to construct and use tissue microarrays or existing tissue microarray slides obtained from any source including commercial vendors. These include academic departments of pathology, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, image analysis companies, companies providing immunohistochemical services, and companies selling tissue microarray slides and services.Inventor(s): DeMarzo, Angelo M.
Type of Offer: Licensing
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