An East Coast laboratory has selected Spokane-based Gestalt Diagnostics LLC to provide software to digitize the specialty laboratory’s workflow.

BioReference Laboratories Inc. of New Jersey plans to use Gestalt’s PathFlow, a digital workflow software that replaces glass slides by allowing pathologists to review digital images remotely.

Dan Roark, Gestalt’s CEO, says BioReference is one of the top five largest reference laboratories in the world. 

A reference lab usually is a private, commercial facility that performs a high volume of routine and specialty testing. Laboratory Corporation America Holdings, which does business as Labcorp, is a reference laboratory with a presence in Spokane, for example. 

“Our industry is in the very early stages of adoption,” he says. “Whenever you can get a key large lab to endorse your product and work with you to add features and continue to innovate, I think that is a great talking point with others that want to do the same.” 

As part of the agreement, Gestalt also has partnered with Illinois-based Leica Biosystems, which provides whole-slide imaging scanners, and German company MindPeak, which provides artificial intelligence to identify breast cancer biomarkers, Roark says. 

Several of Gestalt’s clients over the last year have adopted Leica Biosystems scanners in tandem with Gestalt’s software, which Roark says he expects to continue this year.

He says work for BioReference is the first time Gestalt has collaborated with MindPeak.

“The promise of artificial intelligence is making its way into medicine,” he says. “That started in radiology, where it’s starting to gain pretty widespread adoption. It’s still very early in the pathology space, but we’re seeing good interest. Being able to partner with someone like that is adding real value for the pathologists.” 

Gestalt Diagnostics, which is located at 850 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., in the University District, currently has 18 employees. Gestalt also has an office in Boise. 

While he declines to disclose annual revenue, the company doubled its revenue in 2020 over 2019, he asserts. 

“We expect to nearly double again this year,” he adds.