Automated multispectral slide scanner. This scanner is an advanced instrument for research in digital pathology and will be be used in the Research Tissue Imaging Core.

This purchase is exempt from the usual selection processes of the Procurement Code because the procurement expenditure is for performing sponsored research and other sponsored activities under grants and contracts funded by the sponsor or by sources other than State appropriations. (30 ILCS 500 / 1-13(b)(8)) The Polaris instrument is the latest multispectral scanner sold by Akoya. The UIC Department of Pathology has been using previous versions of this instrument in its digital imaging core facility since 2010. Existing staff are already familiar with the basic technology and with the Polaris instrument. Purchase of this instrument is necessary in order for the core lab to complete ongoing projects funded by external sponsors, including governmental agencies, and to remain competitive for such funded projects in terms of state-of-the-art technology in the future.