DIGITAL PATHOLOGY
Signify Research’s 2026 predictions 1. The predictive and prognostic pathology wave is here Digital pathology is moving decisively toward predictive and prognostic Al. Recent funding, specialist hires, a growing number of genomics partnerships and stronger evidence signal rising market confidence. Recent regulatory designations and new distribution deals pave the way for solid adoption in 2026, and we expect to see increased digital companion diagnostic (CDx) activity from life sciences ahead.
2. Agentic Al for digital pathology reaches the clinic Agentic Al is gaining momentum in pathology as clinical use grows across a number of applications, with many clinicians already experimenting with Al assistants. Early regulatory progress in adjacent fields like radiology sets a helpful precedent and further deployments are expected to prompt clearer guidance, supporting a future of interoperable clinical agents built on safety, reliability and transparency.
3. Best-of-breed software poised to shine in the US genomics market US genomics software is shifting from bespoke in-house pipelines to cloud-native, interoperable enterprise platforms as data volumes, compliance demands and analytics needs grow. Platform agnostic
has become a workforce issue in its own right. Modern digital environments are increasingly necessary if laboratory medicine is to remain atractive to the next generation of clinicians. Together, these pressures are reshaping
vendor relationships. As laboratories face internal IT challenges, vendors that can address challenge beyond that of the standalone pathologist, provide implementation support, integration expertise and long-term service agreements are becoming increasingly atractive partners. In response, many vendors are expanding beyond standalone products, offering broader partnership models such as end-to-end solutions and managed service agreements that incorporate digital pathology. These approaches can help laboratories navigate internal resource constraints while simplifying vendor management.
2. The 20% productivity gap in digital pathology
The second theme that emerged was striking in its simplicity. The pathologists we interviewed were far less interested in new features, additional products or increasingly complex dashboards. Instead, they repeatedly returned to a more fundamental request: time back in their day.
A significant portion of a pathologist’s
digital workload today is reportedly consumed by administrative friction
What’s next for digital laboratory and life sciences?
vendors and healthcare IT firms are expanding independent capabilities, and tighter regulatory expectations are reinforcing a move toward ready-to-deploy ecosystems with strong commercial potential.
4. The unravelling of the LIS: boundaries blur as software ecosystems converge
LIS platforms are under pressure as middleware, digital pathology systems, genomics informatics and expanding EHR modules absorb traditional functions. Specialist LIS vendors are moving into wider healthcare IT and LIMS to offset softening demand. In industry setings, converging yet increasingly specialised laboratory IT is reshaping boundaries and LIMS vendors are actively evaluating healthcare investment. This erosion will accelerate through 2026.
5. Real-world data takes centre stage in health technology Real-world data (RWD) is becoming a key health tech theme for 2026 as vendors pursue supporting their clients through data monetisation and partnership models. Rapid growth in data licensing shows rising demand for RWD and real-world evidence (RWE) products and competition is intensifying to turn fragmented datasets into valuable intelligence, positioning RWD and the ability to produce RWE as a core strategic asset.
The system should be boringly easy to use and ultra-reliable. It should feel more like internet banking than a 1990s database
Tim Bracey, Consultant Pathologist, Peninsula Pathology Network
rather than diagnostic work. This includes navigating multiple interfaces, manually copying information between systems and repeatedly switching context between cases, laboratory systems and patient records. While individually small, these interruptions accumulate and gradually erode the time and cognitive bandwidth available for clinical interpretation. User burnout was echoed by other
interviewees. In an environment where workforce shortages continue to intensify, the expectation to work more efficiently is rising. However, many current digital pathology environments have not evolved to support this reality. Interviewees also highlighted recurring frustrations such as system updates that remove personalised macros and fragile interfaces that disrupt established workflows. From a market perspective, this
suggests that vendors competing primarily on feature expansion may be solving the wrong problem. Workflow
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WWW.PATHOLOGYINPRACTICE.COM May 2026
optimisation and usability improvements are likely to deliver greater clinical value than incremental functionality. Before layering on additional
sophistication, vendors must first eliminate the everyday friction that consumes valuable diagnostic time. Many pathologists are ultimately looking for something closer to a true ‘pathology operating system’: infrastructure that quietly supports their work rather than competing for their atention.
3. Interoperability between systems remains the biggest barrier
Beyond workflow ergonomics within individual systems, conversations made it clear that interoperability remains the most significant technical challenge facing the digital pathology ecosystem. Pathologists consistently pointed to fragmented infrastructure and poor system connectivity as major barriers to efficiency.
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