Why Do We Need the PRX Series Scanners?

1. Introduction: The Era of Digital Pathology and the Mission of the PRX Series

Pathology is entering a fully digital era. Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) has become the foundation enabling remote consultation, AI-assisted diagnosis, and large-scale biobank construction. However, as digital pathology applications continue to expand and deepen, the limitations of traditional scanners have become increasingly evident. In particular, this is seen in throughput, image consistency, stability, and compatibility with complex specimens.

The pathology laboratories of the future require more than incremental performance improvements. They demand high-throughput, highly stable, intelligent scanning infrastructure capable of supporting fully digital, large-scale, and unattended automated workflows.

The PRX Series, developed by KFBIO as its third-generation flagship intelligent scanning platform, was created precisely to meet this challenge.
PRX is not merely a scanner—it is a scalable platform. It is designed to address the core bottlenecks of digital pathology and to serve as a reliable productivity engine for the next generation of smart pathology laboratories.

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1.1 The Origins of Digital Pathology

1968 – The first black-and-white pathology image was transported by airplane to Massachusetts General Hospital, marking the earliest attempt at pathology digitization.

1970s–1980s – Due to limitations in optics, computing, and data transmission, digital pathology saw little practical progress.

1990s – The rise of the internet enabled long-distance image transmission, giving birth to remote microscopy.

Post-2000 – The first generation of Whole Slide Imaging (WSI) scanners emerged, officially ushering in the digital pathology era.

1.2  Applications of Digital Pathology & Scanner Product Evolution

Product Generation	Digital Pathology Scanner Prototype	Key Characteristics	Typical Clinical Application Scenarios
First-Generation Digital Pathology Slide Scanners	—	Product Architecture• Conventional optical microscope• Motorized translation stage• Digital camera• Basic software system Key Features• Multi-field image acquisition• Motor-driven automatic movement and auto-focus• Whole-slide panorama stitching via software• Limited mobility and stability due to retrofitting on traditional microscopes	Clinical Background Mainly used for education and shared discussion of difficult pathology cases. Slide digitization was time-consuming, with poor image quality and low efficiency, making it unsuitable for large-scale clinical deployment. Typical Application Scenarios• Teaching• Shared discussion of complex or rare cases
Second-Generation Digital Pathology Slide Scanners	KF-PRO Series / KF-FL Series	Product Architecture• Purpose-built optical imaging system• High-precision motorized stage• High-speed, high-sensitivity camera• Dedicated control software Key Features• Multi-field image acquisition• High-precision motion control and auto-focus• Seamless whole-slide image stitching• Enclosed housing to eliminate ambient light interference and ensure stable performance• High automation, enabling batch scanning of large sample volumes	Clinical Background During the mid-stage development of digital pathology, advances in precision instruments and computing enabled WSI to be increasingly adopted in clinical diagnostics. Different scanner throughput configurations emerged to address diverse clinical needs. Typical Application Scenarios• Remote pathology diagnosis• Difficult-case teleconsultation• Rapid intraoperative frozen section consultationDaily scanning volumes increased to dozens or even hundreds of slides, with scanning efficiency improving to approximately one minute per slide.
Third-Generation Digital Pathology Slide Scanners	KF-PRX Series	Product Architecture• Advanced dedicated optical imaging system• High-precision three-axis motion platform• Ultra-high-speed, high-sensitivity camera• Intelligent control software system Key Features• High-quality multi-field image acquisition• High-precision motion control and auto-focus• Seamless whole-slide image stitching• Enclosed system design for stable performance• Designed for end-to-end pathology workflows, compatible with upstream and downstream processes, and deeply integrated with PIS/LIS systems• High level of intelligence, enabling collaboration with automated loading/unloading devices and flexible transport robots to achieve unattended, fully automated large-scale scanning• Platform-based design philosophy, supporting multiple scenario-specific derivative systems	Clinical Background With the rise of AI-assisted diagnosis and fully digital pathology departments, the demand for slide digitization has increased dramatically. In large tertiary hospitals, daily newly generated slides may reach 3,000–5,000. High-quality scanning of every slide raises scanner requirements by an order of magnitude—not only in throughput, but also in image quality, system stability, workflow integration, and human–machine interaction. Typical Application Scenarios• AI-assisted pathology diagnosis• Fully digital pathology departments

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1.3 Positioning of the PRX Series

Aligned with the future trajectory of digital pathology—fully digital, high-throughput, high-quality, automation-driven, and intelligent—the PRX Series is positioned as KFBIO’s third-generation flagship scanning platform, designed to fundamentally solve the challenges of efficiency, image quality, and multi-scenario adaptability.

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2. Industry Pain Points: Why Existing Scanners Are No Longer Enough

As digital pathology becomes deeply embedded in routine clinical practice, scanners must support an expanding range of scenarios: daily digital diagnosis, remote consultation, AI analysis, and teaching conferences. Meanwhile, slides originating from different laboratories vary widely in preparation techniques and staining protocols.

As a result, pathologists, AI algorithms, and laboratory technicians all face rising demands in terms of image quality, throughput, stability, and usability. First- and second-generation scanners increasingly struggle to meet these requirements:

Limited modality support: Most scanners only support brightfield imaging, restricting their applicability to advanced research or cytology.

Throughput bottlenecks: Low-capacity scanners cannot support large-scale screening or biobank construction.

Fragmented workflows: Poor integration with upstream staining and downstream archiving processes leads to heavy manual intervention.

Color inconsistency: Significant color variation exists across scanners and even between different batches of the same model, impairing diagnostic consistency and AI model generalization.

Resolution ceiling: Optical diffraction limits restrict further improvement in native resolution.

Poor cytology performance: Thick or uneven samples force compromises between image quality and scanning speed.

Limited scalability: Rigid, single-purpose designs prevent flexible expansion or functional upgrades.

3. Core Value of the PRX Series: Technology That Resolves the Bottlenecks

The PRX Series represents not a simple performance upgrade, but a comprehensive redesign—from platform architecture to core algorithms.

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3.1 Platform Compatibility and Scalability

3.1.1 Performance Designed for Future Digital Pathology

3.1.2 Multiple Configurations (S / M / L / XL)

Throughput ranging from 120 to 1200 slides

Support for continuous loading and automated sorting output

3.1.3 Extended Models

KF-PRX-UDF: Ultra-depth-of-field scanning

KF-PRX-SR: High-end research platform with ultra-high-resolution imaging

KF-PRX-OIL: 100× oil immersion scanning for blood smears and cytogenetics

For cytology, PRX introduces an innovative tilted-axis scanning technique. This technique compresses traditional 10-layer fusion scans (previously >15 minutes) into under 2 minutes. With this technology, PRX fundamentally solves the depth-of-field versus efficiency dilemma.

3.2 High Throughput and Stability for Unattended Operation

PRX adopts a dual-core / quad-core scanning center architecture, delivering throughput of up to 200 slides per hour. It also provides stable 24/7 continuous operation.

When deployed as an island-style scanning center, an eight-core PRX system can process up to 15,360 slides per day, effectively eliminating manual bottlenecks.

3.3 Ultimate Image Quality: Color Fidelity and Super-Resolution

3.4 Super-Resolution Enhancement

Advanced super-resolution algorithms further enhance fine structural details across brightfield, fluorescence, and FISH imaging, supporting both precise diagnosis and quantitative analysis.

To meet real-time processing demands for large datasets, PRX leverages dedicated image acceleration hardware and custom-designed chips, ensuring clinical efficiency without compromising performance.

To meet the real-time processing demands of large-volume pathology data, KFBIO integrates dedicated image acceleration boards and custom-designed chips. This architecture significantly boosts computational performance. Therefore, it ensures timely clinical workflows without compromising image quality or system stability. super-resolution digital pathology digital pathology super resolution super-resolution pathology imaging

4. Future Outlook: Continuous Evolution of the PRX Platform

KFBIO’s innovation roadmap for PRX continues to push boundaries:

Advanced real-time autofocus and optical sectioning to further optimize speed and image quality

Device miniaturization, driven by lensless computational imaging and metasurface technologies

Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging, adding molecular composition insights beyond morphology and opening new frontiers in pathology research.

5. Conclusion: PRX Is the Inevitable Choice for Digital Pathology

Through deep integration of optics, mechanics, algorithms, and workflow intelligence, the PRX Series surpasses traditional scanners in efficiency, image quality, and flexibility.It is not merely a tool for today’s digital pathology—but a foundational platform supporting the entire future digital pathology ecosystem.