Ventana Medical Systems and Roche Tissue Diagnostics change the pathology landscape over 40 years

July 9, 2025
 

Pathologist Tom Grogan, M.D., knew from his personal experience running a laboratory 40 years ago that there had to be a better way to help patients find out earlier whether they had cancer.  The existing process of staining and viewing tissue slides was laborious and time consuming, while patients waited to learn their fate. 

Dr. Grogan was motivated by the promise of new science developing monoclonal antibodies to come up with a more innovative and accurate way to get patients and their doctors better answers, faster – as the earlier they know, the faster treatment could begin.  And, then, just like today, patient outcomes are better when treatment starts earlier.

The promise of monoclonal antibodies

“Forty years ago, I knew with the advent of monoclonal antibodies that  there was a new tool that would allow a more refined diagnostic capability,” said Dr. Grogan. “And because I was practicing pathology every day, I was aware of how often there were diagnostic missteps and misdiagnoses. And so I devoted myself to adding new tools to add assurance to the diagnosis ... to achieve a high level of diagnostic capability.”

The tool, monoclonal antibodies with dyes attached, could be used on tissue to help pathologists see their cellular chemistry with a microscope  down to individual cells, to determine which available chemotherapy worked best at the time. However, Dr. Grogan’s lab had to daily mix about 15 solutions and solvents – some carcinogenic – to stain the immunohistochemistry slides. The chemicals were then hand applied with a pipette to the slides with timers that helped them know when to add or remove reagents.¹

Armed with a yellow legal pad and a few drawings of his vision, Dr. Grogan was originally determined to focus on developing just one instrument for his lab that was automated.  That vision grew into the founding of Ventana Medical Systems in 1985, now known as Roche Tissue Diagnostics. His quest resulted in helping patients and their doctors receive results faster with Ventana’s first prototype in 1989.

The emergence of companion diagnostics

When Roche acquired Ventana years later, Ventana was able to link the therapy to a target of that therapy – allowing for the marriage of diagnosis and treatment – or companion diagnostics (CDx), providing for even more precision in medicine. 

Today, after 40 years of driving diagnostic certainty for life-changing decisions in pathology, Roche’s pathology instruments, such as the BenchMark ULTRA PLUS, are in academic medical hospitals to local community hospitals, bringing Dr. Grogan’s vision alive to provide treatment to everyone regardless of where they live.

Roche Tissue Diagnostics has helped 4.3 million patients² get tested annually with three of its companion diagnostic tests –  HER2, ALK and PD-L1 – and 41 million patients each year globally.³ Roche's full CDx portfolio enables access to 19  personalized therapies⁴ across multiple diseases, more than any other IHC/ISH provider.

As far as Ventana and Roche Tissue Diagnostics have come, Dr. Grogan, now retired, knows there’s much more on the horizon.

Dr. Grogan’s vision of diagnostic certainty continues to remain a driving force at Roche Tissue Diagnostics, as its teams look for new methods, including incorporating digital and AI technologies, to find more innovative and accurate ways to get patients and their doctors better answers, faster.

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