An impending crisis in the provision of histopathology expertise for mouse functional genomics

The Geropathology Research Network: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Integrating Pathology Into Research on Aging

Geropathology is the study of aging and age-related lesions and diseases in the form of whole necropsies/autopsies, surgical biopsies, histology, and molecular biomarkers. It encompasses multiple subspecialties of geriatrics, anatomic pathology, molecular pathology, clinical pathology, and gerontology. In order to increase the consistency and scope of communication in the histologic and molecular pathology assessment of tissues from preclinical and clinical aging studies, a Geropathology Research Network has been established consisting of pathologists and scientists with expertise in the comparative pathology of aging, the design of aging research studies, biostatistical methods for analysis of aging data, and bioinformatics for compiling and annotating large sets of data generated from aging studies. The network provides an environment to promote learning and exchange of scientific information and ideas for the aging research community through a series of symposia, the development of uniform ways of integrating pathology into aging studies, and the statistical analysis of pathology data. The efforts of the network are ultimately expected to lead to a refined set of sentinel biomarkers of molecular and anatomic pathology that could be incorporated into preclinical and clinical aging intervention studies to increase the relevance and productivity of these types of investigations.

Analysis of mouse model pathology: a primer for studying the anatomic pathology of genetically engineered mice

This primer of pathology is intended to introduce investigators to the structure (morphology) of cancer with an emphasis on genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models (GEMMs). We emphasize the necessity of using the entire biological context for the interpretation of anatomic pathology. Because the primary investigator is responsible for almost all of the information and procedures leading up to microscopic examination, they should also be responsible for documentation of experiments so that the microscopic interpretation can be rendered in context of the biology. The steps involved in this process are outlined, discussed, and illustrated. Because GEMMs are unique experimental subjects, some of the more common pitfalls are discussed. Many of these errors can be avoided with attention to detail and continuous quality assurance.

Integrating pathology into human disease modelling--how to eat the elephant

Mouse models are increasingly being used for the study of human disease, and the generation and functional characterisation of new models is underpinned by high-throughput phenotyping consortia such as the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium. A new study by Adissu and colleagues, published in Disease Models & Mechanisms, demonstrates the usefulness of histopathology in providing corroborative information and uncovering novel phenotypes in genetically modified mice in a high-throughput screen. Although pathology is recognised as a valuable tool to enhance our understanding of animal disease models, it has also been systematically under-resourced. This Editorial aims to highlight ways in which the gap between the usefulness of pathology and its perceived inaccessibility can be addressed by considering pragmatic solutions for planning, resourcing and accessing pathology expertise. The role of funding agencies, academic centres and journals in ensuring that the value of pathology is fully recognised and is adequately supported and funded is also discussed.

Pathology of the laboratory mouse: an International Workshop on Challenges for High Throughput Phenotyping

The fifth in a series of European workshops for veterinary and human pathologists, "Pathology of the Laboratory Mouse: An International Workshop on Challenges for High Throughput Phenotyping," was held in Bordeaux, France, from September 30 to October 1, 2010. In this report we outline the rationale for setting up this workshop series, summarize our experience, and suggest approaches for optimizing histopathology phenotyping for gene function discovery.

Do we see what we think we see? The complexities of morphological assessment

Reliable pathological interpretation is vital to so many aspects of tissue-based research as well as being central to patient care. Understanding the complex processes involved in decision-making is the starting point to improve both diagnostic reproducibility and the definition of diagnostic groups that underpin our experiments. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of research in this field and it is encouraging to see The Journal of Pathology publishing work in this area. This review attempts to highlight the opportunities that exist in this field and the technologies that are now available to support this type of research. Key amongst these are the use of decision analysis tools such as inference networks, and virtual microscopy that allows us to simulate diagnostic decision-making. These tools have roles, not only in studying the subtleties of diagnostic decision-making, but also in delivering new methods of training and proficiency testing. Research which helps us to better understand what we see, why we see it, and standardizing interpretative reasoning in pathological classification is essential for improving the wide range of activities that pathologists support, including clinical diagnosis, teaching, training, and experimental research.