Indica Labs’ Vienna HALO® User Group Meeting
Date: 5 September 2025
Time: 12:00 – 18:00
Location: Hotel NH Danube City
Learn about the latest advancements from Indica Labs and how our customers and partners are leveraging image analysis and image management from discovery to diagnostics
Summary
Indica Labs is pleased to announce our Vienna HALO® User Group Meeting at Hotel NH Danube City on 5 September from 12:00 – 18:00. A lunch will be provided to all pre-registered attendees at 13:00.
Our program this year features three outstanding guest speakers representing leading universities and pharma companies who will discuss how they use products and services from Indica Labs to achieve their goals spanning life sciences to diagnostics. In addition to our guest speakers, Indica Labs will present on our latest advancements in image analysis and image management in collaboration with our partners at Leica Biosystems.
We welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about Indica Labs’ quantitative digital pathology solutions to register for the meeting. You do not need to be a current Indica Labs customer to attend.
Presenters
Eileen Regan
Noemi Kedei, MD
Ghislaine Lioux, PhD
Brian Reichholf, PhD
David de Mena
Markus Plass, PhD
Ines Nearchou, PhD
Peter Caie, PhD
Billy Heseltine
Katie McKinley
Agenda
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Time | Topic | Presenters | |
|---|---|---|---|
12:00 – 12:10 | Welcome Address | Eileen Regan VP, Life Science Applications Indica Labs | |
12:10 – 12:40 | New Features and Upcoming Developments in Life Science Products at Indica Labs
| Director of Product, Life Sciences Indica Labs
Abstract The digital pathology landscape continues to evolve and improve and the software solutions from Indica Labs are no exception. This presentation will showcase the latest advancements in the HALO®, HALO AI, and HALO Link products and provide insight into future directions. A live product demo will show how the enhancements accelerate AI-powered analysis, streamline workflows, and unlock deeper discovery from complex imaging data. Get a first look at the latest product updates and learn more about focus areas of development for 2025! Biography Noemi Kedei earned an MD degree from University Medical School of Debrecen, Hungary. She did her postdoctoral training and worked later as staff scientist in the Laboratory of Cancer Biology and Genetics, NCI. Her research focused on identifying mechanisms involved in the differential effect of natural compounds and their engineered derivatives acting on protein kinase Cs (PKCs), validated targets for anti-cancer treatment. In 2018 she joined the Collaborative Protein Technology Resources (OSTR, CCR, NCI) core facility to implement a variety of spatial protein and transcriptomics technologies and lead related operations as services to NCI investigators. Noemi provided the expertise for development of project based customized antibody protein panels for detection of 40-60 protein targets at single cell level in tissue sections using the CODEX/Phenocycler fusion technology, and ensured optimal end efficient instrument use. In addition, she advised and supported users on image analysis tools for quantitative image analysis combining different AI-enabled HALO modules and NCI developed pipelines for downstream analysis. Noemi joined Indica Labs as Director of Product - Life Sciences in May, 2025. | |
12:40 – 13:00 | Unlock Cell Population Discovery Using HALO® High Dimensional Analysis | Senior Field Applications Scientist Indica Labs
Abstract With multiplexed imaging now routine in digital pathology, extracting meaningful insights from complex datasets is more crucial than ever. Without advanced tools capable of handling numerous biomarkers, key phenotypic patterns and novel cell populations could easily go unnoticed. The HALO® High Dimensional Analysis module addresses this need by seamlessly integrating dimensionality reduction and unsupervised clustering into an intuitive software ecosystem. During the talk, you will: • Understand the challenges of analyzing multiplexed imaging data and how high-dimensional techniques address them. • Learn how clustering and dimensionality reduction workflows operate within HALO®. • See how the module’s dynamic link back to original images enables you to validate discoveries in their precise spatial context. Biography Ghislaine Lioux has a background in molecular biology and heart development. She was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship and obtained her PhD from the Spanish National Institute of Cardiovascular Research in Madrid. Ghislaine brings with her 10 years of experience in the immunostaining and imaging world from various institutes in Spain, France, UK, and USA. As a Senior Field Applications Scientist at Indica Labs, Ghislaine works daily with scientists from pharmaceutical, healthcare, and research organizations worldwide and provides tailored sales and application support to the customers. | |
13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch | ||
14:00 - 14:30 | From analysis to insight: how we are reducing our analysis from days to hours | Brian Reichholf, PhD EXPMed Oncology Boehringer Ingelheim RCV GmbH & Co KG Abstract In our workflows we frequently analyse batches of samples in HALO AI, covering human prevalence data, TMAs, and in vivo tumor models. While this provides us with the analysis result metrics of interest, an in-depth comparison across samples remains cumbersome, especially as this requires combining sample IDs with a wide range of sample metadata. Our approach makes use of the full HALO suite, combining HALO Link, HALO AI and HALO’s GraphQL API access to combine our results with our internal sample metadata, thereby reducing the time our pathologists spent from finalising the analysis in HALO to deriving the analytical and graphical insights for related images. Biography | |
14:30 - 15:00 | From Scanners to AI: A Journey with Indica Labs and Leica Biosystems | Global DP IT Content Manager Leica Biosystems Abstract TBA Biography David de Mena has a background in Telecommunications Engineering and a degree in Philosophy. He has developed his professional career in Health Informatics, both in the public and private sectors, and he has a strong presence in the standardization of Digital Pathology imaging, been part of the DICOM's WG26 and the IHE's PALM group. For the past few years, he has been part of Leica Biosystems' Digital Pathology team, working as Sales Manager for the South of Europe. Currently, he supports the sales team globally on IT Projects as the Global Digital Pathology IT Content Manager. | |
15:00 - 15:30 | How We Transformed Pathology with HALO AP and Scalable Digital Workflow | Head of Digitalization Lab and Researcher Medical University of Graz, Diagnostic and Research Institute for Pathology Abstract In early 2025, our institute took a major step forward by fully transitioning to digital pathology. We now digitalize around 1,600 histopathology slides every day using state-of-the-art whole-slide imaging technology. This shift replaces traditional glass-slide handling with a streamlined, fully digital workflow—making diagnostics faster, more efficient, and accessible from anywhere. To ensure the transition was seamless, we carefully planned each stage of implementation, from scanner selection and workflow integration to staff training. We chose this approach to create a robust and scalable system that meets both diagnostic and research needs. For slide viewing and analysis, we rely on HALO AP from Indica Labs, which provides advanced image management and powerful AI-driven tools. The move to digital pathology doesn’t just benefit patient care; it also creates a strong foundation for research. Every scanned slide is added to curated research catalogs that combine images, metadata, and clinical information. These growing datasets enable advanced analytics, machine learning, and large-scale studies that were not possible before. By embracing digitalization, we are improving diagnostic precision while building a valuable resource for scientific discovery and accelerating breakthroughs in biomedical research. Biography Markus Plass, PhD, is a researcher and Head of the Digitalization Lab at the Institute of Pathology at the Medical University of Graz. With a strong background in biomedical research and digital transformation, he is dedicated to advancing pathology through innovation and technology. As head of the Digitalization Lab, Markus leads the implementation and optimization of state-of-the-art digital pathology workflows, currently overseeing the digitalization of approximately 1,600 slides per day. His work focuses on building scalable infrastructures for diagnostic support, research, and data-driven analytics. Beyond this, Markus is actively involved in academic research, contributing to the development of curated digital catalogs that integrate histopathological images, metadata, and clinical data. These resources support machine learning initiatives and translational studies, with the ultimate goal of improving patient outcomes and accelerating medical discoveries. Markus is passionate about bridging the gap between traditional pathology and next-generation digital technologies, fostering collaboration between clinicians, researchers, and data scientists at the Medical University of Graz and beyond. | |
15:30 - 15:55 | Coffee Break & Networking | ||
15:55 –16:15 | GCP, ADC, and Scalable AI: Pharma Services AI-driven workflows | Sr. Imaging Scientist, Pharma Services Indica Labs
Abstract Our Pharma Services team is an experienced multidisciplinary team that develops AI-powered image analysis workflows to support your preclinical and clinical studies. Developing a strategy that involves a combination of in-house resources and outsourcing allows customers to focus on the key scientific questions to drive their biomarker studies forward. This presentation will provide a brief introduction of the group, introduce new capabilities, and highlight two AI workflows: analysis of ADC target expression and bystander effect, and workflows for scaling AI training using ground-truth annotations from same section mIF or IHC panels. Biography Dr. Ines Nearchou is a Senior Imaging Scientist at Indica Labs, where she leads AI-driven digital pathology projects supporting preclinical and clinical research across pharma, biotech, and academic collaborations. She holds a Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of St Andrews, where her research focused on digital pathology and image analysis for cancer prognosis, and also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Japan applying deep learning in pathology. Her work involves developing and validating image analysis classifiers, and collaborating closely with pathologists and data scientists to deliver tailored solutions in digital pathology. | |
16:15 – 16:40 | An Overview of Indica Labs' HALO Clinical AI Portfolio | Peter Caie, PhD Sr. Principal Scientist, AI Diagnostics Indica Labs Abstract I will describe Indica Labs' current HALO Clinical AI portfolio. Within this talk I will give an overview of each product's features and outputs, some validation data and summarize the additional functionality available when they are deployed in our clinical IMS, HALO AP®, to bring efficiency and quality gains to your digital pathology laboratory. I will also review our joint ability, alongside our partners Leica Biosystems, to develop end-to-end companion diagnostic development and deployment. Biography Peter Caie worked for 9 years as a Senior Scientist at AstraZeneca before completing his PhD from the University of Edinburgh in Cancer Pathology. He went on to run the Quantitative and Digital Pathology (QUAD) Lab at the University of St Andrews where his research focused on artificial intelligence, cancer prognosis, and diagnosis in the field of digital and molecular pathology. Currently, Dr Caie is a Senior Principal Scientist at Indica Labs where he manages the AI Diagnostics group who develop commercial AI products designed for deployment in both the clinical and life science fields. | |
16:40 - 17:00 | Coffee break and Networking | ||
17:00 – 17:25 | Optimizing Digital Pathology Infrastructure Through Cloud Services | Billy Heseltine Director of Cloud Services Indica Labs Abstract This presentation will delve into how the Indica Labs Cloud Services team can elevate your HALO® infrastructure through customized cloud solutions. We will introduce the offering and present a case study from our customers at the University of Washington who achieved a 40% cost reduction in their HALO deployment cost on AWS in four months by switching to Cloud Services. We will also introduce our ability to perform custom integrations and data migrations, helping you get the most out of your data where it comes from HALO software, a LIS|LIMS, or a third-party platform. Biography Billy is responsible for Indica Labs Cloud Services, specializing in deployment and management of cloud environments optimized for digital pathology. Billy holds both AWS Certified Solutions Architect and HashiCorp Terraform certifications and has over 10 years of industry experience within IT. Billy joined Indica Labs as a Technical Solutions Engineer in 2018, was promoted to Technical Solutions Manager, EMEA in 2021, and moved into Technical Product Management in 2022 before his most recent promotion to Director of Cloud Services. | |
17:25 – 17:55 | Panel Discussion | Katie McKinley VP, Clinical Applications Indica Labs Eileen Regan VP, Life Science Applications Indica Labs Director of Product, Life Sciences Indica Labs
Senior Field Applications Scientist Indica Labs Sr. Imaging Scientist, Pharma Services Indica Labs Peter Caie, PhD Sr. Principal Scientist, AI Diagnostics Indica Labs Billy Heseltine Director of Cloud Services Indica Labs | |
17:55 – 18:00 | Closing Remarks | Katie McKinley VP, Clinical Applications Indica Labs | |
18:00 - 19:00 | Drinks Reception |
HALO AP® is CE-IVDR marked for in-vitro diagnostic use in Europe, the UK, and Switzerland. HALO AP® is For Research Use Only in the USA and is not FDA cleared for clinical diagnostic use. In addition, HALO AP® provides built-in compliance with FDA 21 CFR Part 11, HIPAA, and GDPR. WBS-MAR-000007v1