Agilent Technologies said on 13 October 2026 that it has signed a definitive agreement to buy Proscia, a company that makes AI-enabled software for digital pathology [1][2]. According to the joint announcement, Agilent will pay $240 million in cash when the deal closes, and up to another $30 million if Proscia hits future performance milestones.
What digital pathology is
Pathologists diagnose disease by looking at thin slices of tissue, such as a biopsy, under a microscope. For most of medical history that meant glass slides and a person at an eyepiece. Digital pathology scans those slides into very detailed images that can be viewed on a screen, shared between hospitals and stored like any other data.
Once slides are digital, software can help. AI tools can flag areas worth a closer look, measure features in the tissue and sort cases, while the pathologist still makes the call. Drug companies use the same images in research and clinical trials, for example to study biomarkers, the signals in tissue that show whether a treatment might work.
What Proscia brings
The release describes Proscia as an independent provider of enterprise digital pathology software, acting as a central operating layer for pathology work. According to the release, its software is used by more than 4,000 laboratories, hospitals and clinics, and by 16 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies. The companies say Proscia’s trailing twelve-month revenue is above $18 million.
The release also says Proscia’s platform holds FDA 510(k) clearance for primary diagnosis, meaning US regulators have cleared it for pathologists to make diagnoses from digital images, and that Proscia was named 2026 Best in KLAS for Digital Pathology by the healthcare IT ratings firm KLAS. The release puts the pathology market at $5 billion; that is the companies’ own figure.
Not a new relationship
The two companies already work together. According to the release, Agilent and Proscia signed a multi-year distribution agreement in September 2022 to offer a combined digital pathology system for diagnostics. Agilent says the deal builds on that partnership and on its existing pathology business.
What the two companies said
“Digital pathology is quickly becoming the foundation for pathology data generation, analysis, and application across biopharmaceutical research, clinical development, and diagnostics, and our acquisition of Proscia meaningfully expands our presence in this fast-growing market,” said Padraig McDonnell, Agilent’s president and chief executive. He said the deal gives Agilent a platform for “scientific intelligence in tissue-based precision medicine, connecting data generation with AI-based interpretation.”
David West, Proscia’s co-founder and chief executive, said: “Agilent shares our vision for advancing pathology through open, digital, and AI-enabled solutions.”
When it closes
The companies say the deal is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close early in Agilent’s fiscal year 2027. After closing, Proscia will join Agilent’s Life Sciences and Diagnostics Markets Group, according to the release.
About Agilent
Agilent makes lab instruments, software and services for life sciences, diagnostics and applied chemistry. The release says it reported revenue of $6.95 billion in fiscal year 2025 and has about 18,000 employees.
What this means
- The headline price has two parts. $240 million is paid at closing; the extra $30 million only comes if Proscia meets milestones the companies have not detailed.
- A partner becomes a unit. Agilent has sold alongside Proscia since 2022, and now wants to own the software layer that sits on top of digitised slides.
- AI in pathology is moving into big-company hands. A major lab supplier is buying an FDA-cleared software platform, which points to digital, AI-assisted pathology becoming a standard part of hospital and drug-research work.
Sources
- Proscia, “Agilent to Acquire Proscia, Advancing AI-Enabled Digital Pathology and Scientific Intelligence”, 13 October 2026. https://proscia.com/press-release/agilent-to-acquire-proscia-advancing-ai-enabled-digital-pathology-and-scientific-intelligence
- BioSpace (BusinessWire release), “Agilent to Acquire Proscia, Advancing AI-Enabled Digital Pathology and Scientific Intelligence”, 13 October 2026. https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/agilent-to-acquire-proscia-advancing-ai-enabled-digital-pathology-and-scientific-intelligence
