Alphen aan den Rijn, 20 March 2026
Consistency in every slide.
Clarity in every image.
Confidence in every decision.
Sakura Finetek, a global leader in automated tissue and slide preparation solutions for anatomic pathology, and Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., a worldwide leader in imaging technologies, today announced an alliance to enable consistent, scan-ready slides and clear digital images to support confident clinical decisions, with care for every patient.
Together, both companies are focused on reducing variability and rework by aligning high-quality slide preparation with reliable digitisation, empowering pathology teams to move efficiently from biopsy to diagnosis. The partnership is guided by a shared belief that engineering excellence ultimately serves one purpose: to improve patient care. Sakura Finetek and Hamamatsu commit to collaborating with pathologists and laboratories to realise the benefits of one seamless workflow.
“Across Europe, laboratories are under increasing pressure to do more with less, while maintaining uncompromising quality,” said Jaap Stuut, President, Sakura Finetek Europe. “By combining Sakura’s proven expertise in producing consistently high-quality slides with Hamamatsu’s imaging excellence, we are creating a workflow that empowers pathologists to focus on what truly matters: confident, timely diagnoses for every patient. This partnership is about delivering impact, better outcomes, more efficiency, and a shared vision for the future of digital pathology.”
“Digital pathology can only be as strong as the slide that enters the scanner,” said Tadashi Maruno, President, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. “NanoZoomer systems are built to deliver high-quality whole slide images. This partnership with Sakura Finetek reinforces a ‘one complete workflow’ mindset, supporting consistent slide preparation and clear imaging so pathologists can focus on what matters most: arriving at the right diagnosis for each patient.”
Through this collaboration, Sakura Finetek and Hamamatsu support laboratories with:
- Workflow alignment between slide preparation steps and digital scanning to help reduce rework, rescans, and delays
- Joint customer engagement to help laboratories evaluate and design end-to-end workflows from histology through digital review
- Shared educational resources highlighting best practices for scan-ready slide production and reliable whole slide imaging
The global partnership is being launched today and will be rolled out in phases. In Europe, the rollout is expected towards the end of June, beginning in Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy and the Netherlands, with additional European markets to follow as the partnership matures.
About Sakura Finetek
Sakura Finetek is the global leader in continuous innovation for pathology, providing integrated solutions for anatomic pathology and patients through best-in-class innovation, quality and customer care. With a strategic focus on end-to-end automation, Sakura Finetek continues to lead the industry in developing and commercialising automated histopathology instrumentation and consumables for anatomic pathology. Sakura Finetek systems dramatically increase efficiency, standardise results and enable customers to manage their daily workload more simply while significantly influencing patient care.
For more information, please visit www.sakura.com
About Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. is a global leader in the design and manufacture of photonics devices, including advanced imaging detectors. Our optical sensors, light sources, cameras, photometry systems, and measurement and analysis systems deliver critical photonics components for a broad range of demanding applications and markets. For more than two decades, our NanoZoomer series of digital scanners has been a pioneering solution in whole-slide imaging scanner technology for pathology research.
For more information, we welcome you to visit www.nanozoomer.com
For media inquiries, please contact:
Carola Hoogeveen
Manager Communication
+31 62 054 16 33
C.Hoogeveen@sakura.eu
www.sakura.com
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