illumiSonics Launches Slide Scanning as a Service

​Label-free, multiplex whole-slide imaging from unstained FFPE tissue reduces pre-analytic variables and delivers AI-ready data.

September 25, 2025 – Waterloo, ON — illumiSonics Inc., today announced the launch of MLI™ Slide Scanning as a Service, a turnkey offering that takes unstained FFPE slides or blocks to generate high-resolution, multi-channel whole-slide images suitable for virtual staining, biomarker extraction, and AI workflows. The service outputs standard microscopy formats (e.g., OME-TIFF) at 40× resolution with six multiplexed MLI contrasts, providing rich molecular and morphological information while leaving precious tissue unaltered for downstream testing.

Example MLI ™ image captured in an unstained FFPE breast tissue slide.

“With Slide Scanning as a Service, our label-free MLI™ platform images unstained FFPE tissue directly, allowing us to eliminate many of the pre-analytic variables that plague standard chemical and immunohistochemical histology tests—from reagent lots and incubation times to batch-to-batch staining variability,” said John Mackey, CEO of illumiSonics. “Because MLI captures multiple intrinsic contrasts in a single non-destructive pass, it enables true multiplex analysis on a single slide and also delivers the AI-ready features needed to generate novel disease classifiers for research, clinical development, and precision medicine.”

What the service delivers:

• Label-free, multi-contrast imaging: MLI™ simultaneously captures complementary intrinsic contrasts—including scattering, non-radiative, and radiative signals—yielding six channels of multiplexed data from each slide.

• High-fidelity digital slides: Whole-slide images at 40× with six MLI channels, delivered via secure link in OME-TIFF for seamless integration into existing image viewers and computational pipelines.

• Preserves tissue for what’s next: Because imaging is dye-free and non-destructive, tissue remains available for additional assays and molecular testing.

• AI-ready data: Our experienced AI team can train custom algorithms on MLI™ features for tasks such as virtual staining, biomarker extraction, and exploratory prognostic or predictive models.

  
  

How it works:

1.  Request a quote — Tell us about your sample and scanning needs.

2. Send samples — Ship or drop off unstained FFPE slides (25×75 mm) or blocks; no cover slip or deparaffinization required.

3. Scanning & QA — We scan, digitize, and verify image quality.

4. Delivery — Receive files via secure link; we return your slides/blocks.

Why it matters:

Traditional chemical stains and IHC introduce pre-analytic variability that can confound comparisons across sites, time, and studies. By imaging unstained tissue, MLI™ removes the stain step and its associated variables while generating multiplex, information-dense images in a single acquisition. The platform has demonstrated concordance between MLI-derived virtual H&E and chemically stained slides in cancer applications, underscoring its potential to support digital-first workflows and downstream AI analysis.

Availability and support:

illumiSonics can support projects ranging from a single slide to entire blocks or collections of blocks, with project consulting from a diverse clinical advisory team. The service is operated from our Waterloo, Ontario facility and is available to academic labs, hospitals, and biopharma R&D teams.

Research-use note:

MLI™ platforms and associated services are currently offered for research use only and are not intended for diagnostic use.

About illumiSonics Inc.

illumiSonics is a biomedical technology company advancing non-destructive, label-free imaging for high-content tissue analysis. Our patented platform enables high-resolution optical sectioning and digital reconstruction of tissue architecture without dyes or tissue damage, supporting flexible applications across research, translational studies, and biopharmaceutical development.

Media & Sales Contact

illumiSonics Inc.

Email: contact@illumisonics.com — Reach out for a quote today.