PS-IMAP: AN INTERACTIVE MAP FOR FOSTERING THE COLLABORATION BETWEEN PATHOLOGISTS, NEPHROLOGISTS AND COMPUTER SCIENTISTS

Introduction: Developments in computational nephology require a clear exchange of information between nephrologists, pathologists and computer science researchers. Both anatomic pathology and computer science have specific technical frames, concepts, and denominations that are usually alien to each other. OBJECTIVES: to build a practical tool (PS-iMAP) tailored for academics and researchers who work on computational nephropathology. METHODS: The PS-iMAP system consists of two primary components: the PS-iMAP interface and the server-side module. Users access the system through the PS-iMAP interface, which is a web-based application comprising three visual components: the Network of Lesions & Diseases, the Lesions Gallery and the Related Work in Computational Pathology panel. The Network of Lesions & Diseases maps each lesion and disease to a distinct colored node. When a lesion node is selected, a detailed highlight card appears, showcasing its representative image and pertinent information and similar images from the Lesions Gallery. Links are highlighted from the lesion node to nodes representing the main diseases in which the lesion is present. The disease nodes work as links to additional information about the disease present in open access sites containing summarized descriptions. The Related Work in Computational Pathology panel leads to computer science reference repositories containing the main developments in computational science related to the lesion in study. RESULTS: The system has a network of 35 lesions connected to the main diseases in which they appear, and a growing collection of 175 images of lesions stained with the different techniques used in nephropathology. The server-side connects to other third-party services, including atlases of renal pathology and computer science reference repositories. In the case of computer science reference repositories, the server requests for information about the articles related to a given lesion, transferring the relevant results to the PS-iMAP interface. CONCLUSIONS: The PS-iMAP system is a useful tool that enables integration among nephrologists, pathologists, and professionals in computer science. Among its applications, we can mention its use for the development of new artificial intelligence algorithms, as an educational tool in the field of nephropathology and computational pathology.