Case studies

Identifying novel tissue biomarkers in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases with curated whole slide image data and biospecimens

Immunology
Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Scleroderma
Biomarker Discovery
Translational Research
Clinical Data
Whole Slide Images
Pathology Data
Biospecimens

Background

Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and scleroderma are increasing in prevalence and impose a substantial, long-term burden on patients and healthcare systems1.

These conditions are driven by complex tissue processes that influence symptoms, progression, and response to therapy, making precise characterization essential for improving care and advancing new treatments2.

Histopathologic biomarkers capture features such as fibrosis, vascular remodeling, and immune cell infiltration, providing insights into disease mechanisms, supporting therapeutic target discovery, and validating treatment effects.

Objective

A global pharmaceutical company asked Aigora for support in assembling a research-ready collection of digital pathology images and corresponding tissue specimens for biomarker discovery and translational research in inflammatory bowel disease and scleroderma.

Delivery

Aigora curated and delivered a fit-for-purpose whole slide image dataset together with paired unstained tissue sections for complementary downstream laboratory analyses.

Dataset characteristics

  • Clinical data

    Patient demographics, disease diagnosis

  • Whole slides images

    De-identified H&E and IHC whole slide images

  • Pathology data

    Sample metadata, tissue site, standardized histopathologic assessments and disease-specific scoring

  • Biospecimens

    Matched tissue specimens

References

  1. Wylezinski LS, Gray JD, Polk JB, Harmata AJ, Spurlock CF. Illuminating an Invisible Epidemic: A Systemic Review of the Clinical and Economic Benefits of Early Diagnosis and Treatment in Inflammatory Disease and Related Syndromes. J Clin Med. 2019;8(4):493. doi:10.3390/jcm8040493
  2. Centanni L, Cicerone C, Fanizzi F, et al. Advancing Therapeutic Targets in IBD: Emerging Goals and Precision Medicine Approaches. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2025;18(1):78. doi:10.3390/ph18010078

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Project metrics

  • Number of cases

    200

  • Number of variables per case

    7

  • Delivery timeline

    8 weeks

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