The slide is
de-identified.
The label is not.
Third-party pathology AI wants your whole-slide image files. The scan is clean. The embedded label image - the one with the printed patient name and barcode - is not. SlideIQ™ handles all three PHI surfaces before any file reaches an AI vendor or research archive.
Before and after SlideIQ™.
Everything between your lab and a pathology AI data-sharing agreement.
Everyone de-identifies the scan.Nobody de-identifies the label.
Whole-slide images carry patient identity across three distinct surfaces: the Imaging metadata, the embedded slide label (often a barcode with printed name), and the linked LIMS case record. Standard export pipelines address at most one. SlideIQ addresses all three.
The SlideIQ™ pipeline.
- 01
WSI Ingest
Whole-slide image received from scanner or LIMS
- 02
Label Redaction
Automated detection removes label image PHI
- 03
Metadata Scrub
All TIFF / vendor metadata fields processed
- 04
LIMS Unlinking
Case ID replaced with pseudonymous reference
- 05
Governed Output
Clean WSI delivered. Audit entry written.
Three things that change immediately.
Designed to run in your lab environment
We connect SlideIQ to your scanner output and LIMS. No disruption to the scan-to-report workflow your team already runs.
Three-surface coverage active
Metadata, embedded label images, and LIMS case IDs are all processed from the first slide. Your AI vendor or research partner receives governed data immediately.
All standard WSI formats supported
HREC-ready export log
Every WSI movement is logged with processing provenance - methodology version, surfaces addressed, audit hash. Ready for HREC submission or institutional review.
Exportable manifest on every release
What SlideIQ™ covers.
Three-surface de-identification
SlideIQ addresses all three PHI surfaces in a whole-slide image in a single pass: Imaging metadata, embedded slide label images (including barcodes), and linked LIMS case records.
Label image redaction
Automated detection identifies slide labels, barcodes, and printed patient text embedded in the slide image tile.
LIMS case unlinking
Case IDs replaced with pseudonymous references. Linkage maintained for re-identification under controlled conditions.
Policy-gated release
Each AI vendor or research archive receives only the fields and studies permitted by their data-use agreement.
Immutable audit chain
Every de-identification decision logged. Exportable for HREC or institutional review.
Built for the formats your lab actually uses.
SlideIQ integrates with your existing LIMS and scanner workflow. No changes to how your lab operates.
What pathology teams usually ask us.
A pathology AI vendor wants our whole-slide images. What is the actual privacy risk?
The risk is the label, not the tile. The TIFF pixel data - the scan itself - carries no identity. But every WSI has an embedded label image (often a photograph of the physical slide with a printed patient name and barcode), plus TIFF metadata and a LIMS case ID linkage. Third-party pathology AI vendors will receive all of that unless something processes it first. SlideIQ handles all three surfaces.
We already de-identify TIFF metadata before export. Isn't that enough?
Metadata de-identification covers the TIFF tag fields - ImageDescription, DateTime, Artist, and similar. It does not address the embedded label tile (a separate image embedded in the file), the LIMS case ID in the filename or associated metadata, or slide barcode text that may be captured in the label photograph. These are the surfaces that standard export tools miss and that most researchers and AI vendors inadvertently receive.
Does SlideIQ work with our LIMS system?
Yes. SlideIQ connects to your LIMS to handle case delinking. Case IDs are replaced with pseudonymous references. The mapping is retained under controlled conditions so slides can be re-identified if required - for example, for a clinical follow-up after a research finding.
What about the barcode on the physical slide label?
SlideIQ's label detection is built specifically for slide label formats - printed barcodes, printed patient names, handwritten annotations, and QR codes embedded in label images. It detects and redacts the label tile within the WSI file. The WSI tile data (the scan itself) is untouched.
How do we satisfy HREC requirements for pathology data sharing?
HREC approval for pathology data sharing typically requires documented evidence of de-identification methodology, an audit trail, and alignment with OAIC APP 11. SlideIQ produces a signed processing manifest for every file - methodology, processing version, surfaces addressed, and audit hash - exportable in the format your institution's research governance team requires.
What is the throughput for a WSI batch through the pipeline?
Processing time depends on file size and label complexity. Typical whole-slide files at 40x process in seconds. For large batch exports - moving a cohort of slides to a research archive - SlideIQ queues and processes in the background with no impact on routine lab operations.