Toxicologic Pathology is the official journal of the STP, BSTP, and ESTP and a leader in providing cutting edge research and the most up-to-date information on a variety of scientific content to our membership, as well as scientists outside of our discipline. This journal highly values high-quality histological images that demonstrate toxicity principles and to expand the utility of this journal a new imaging initiative of including links to whole slide imaging (WSI) has been proposed to increase the impact of Toxicologic Pathology in terms of advanced content for our journal’s readership. This new initiative includes the use of digital slide imaging to enhance the reader’s experience when reading the online content of the journal. This and upcoming issues contain a pilot program collaboration with the Digital Pathology Association (DPA), a nonprofit educational organization providing WSI and hosting for a variety of industry and biotech preclinical research organizations and academia. This new initiative will enable readers to access WSI from figure photomicrographs within supplemental material. The reader can peruse the entire specimen to engage the content in a deeper fashion like a true diagnostic experience. We believe this is in line with the STP’s mission of Education and Innovation and this initiative will make Toxicologic Pathology a leader in the field in providing this type of content to its readership, enhancing the educational utility of the journal, and transforming the way readership uses the journal content through technologic advances in digital pathology.
This issue includes links to whole slide images that are being hosted through DPA on its Path Presenter WSI platform. Please see the article in the current issue, “Spontaneous Primary Pleural Mesothelioma in Fischer 344 and Other Rat Strains: A Retrospective Review” by Tokarz et al., for links and histological descriptions in the supplemental files to WSI of pertinent figure content. We encourage readers to explore this new aspect of the journal content and we look forward to expanding the use of this technology to additional issues moving forward. In the coming months, the Journal will continue to evaluate the impact of this initiative on journal submissions, and we hope to see positive feedback and utilization of this new technology across the Society, including increased interest by submitting authors in utilizing this technology across our discipline.
Toxicologic Pathology journal’s editorial staff welcomes feedback from our readers on the utility, accessibility, and benefits of this initiative to our readership. We encourage you to send us your comments on this to us by email at ToxPathJournal@verizon.net. We are particularly interested in your viewing experience and any suggestions on how to improve the technical feasibility of viewing these images. In addition, if you have a manuscript submission that would benefit from WSI in Toxicologic Pathology, please do not hesitate to contact us as we would be delighted to include your images.
