Slice

If you would like to get involved in the Slice Image Bank project, please contact s.dowdell@unsw.edu.au

What is Slice?

Slice, previously known as the Australian Medical Image Bank (AMIB), is currently under development as a key feature in the NBN BEST Network. Slice is a searchable library of anatomy, pathology, microbiology and immunology images for use in biomedical education.

What content is already on Slice? 

Slice has already obtained hundreds of images of disease from the Museum of Human Disease, UNSW and wholeslide images from UNSW and University of Melbourne. The BEST Network team is currently working with BEST Network partners UNSW, University of Melbourne, James Cook University and University of Queensland to secure new images for Slice.

What new content will be sourced for Slice?

The images will be sourced from public and private biomedical educators and health care providers and may eventually cover all types of medical imaging. Initially the emphasis will be to collect, index and catalogue and make available for use pathology images (microscopic and macroscopic). Later it is envisaged that diagnostic images and other visual information may be added. It is likely that images will be accessed by people both across Australia and internationally.

Many of the images will be of human tissues, including:

• dissected specimens from human cadaveric materials (collected with consent under the Anatomy Act)
• specimens collected from either autopsy or surgery, and housed in the Museum of Human Disease at UNSW, or potentially from other similar collections worldwide.
• tissues in Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded blocks (either from surgical specimens or autopsy) that have been made into glass slides prior to imaging.

When will the images be made available?

The BEST Network is working towards making Slice available for public use in June 2014.

Slice aims to make the deposition and use of the images as straight forward and uncomplicated as possible. Before accepting contributions and making Slice content publicly available, we are seeking advice on a number of legal issues such as copyright licenses, acknowledgement of contributions, the ethical logistics of obtaining, storing and distributing these images, and the most appropriate navigation of issues around consent and identifying information.

A mock-up of Slice and the documentation is available here.