Saint Francis Hospital is proud to announce that it has secured a generous $78,000 grant from the Gawlicki Family Foundation to support the future acquisition of the Van Gogh Microscopy System by Aquyre Biosciences. Once purchased and implemented, Saint Francis will become the first hospital in the Northeast to offer patients access to this advanced diagnostic technology, which is designed to transform how biopsy tissue is evaluated during minimally invasive procedures such as robotic bronchoscopy.
The FDA-registered Van Gogh Microscopy System provides real-time, high-resolution imaging of tissue samples, enabling care teams to determine sample adequacy and cellular composition within minutes—without damaging the tissue. With over 90% accuracy, the system has demonstrated significant improvements over traditional methods, which typically range from 45–75% accuracy. Clinical studies have shown:
- 13% increase in cancer detection rates
- 61% decrease in inconclusive biopsies
- 21% reduction in procedural times
Unlike traditional laboratory analysis, which can take hours or days, the Van Gogh system delivers results in as little as two minutes and preserves 100% of the biopsy sample for further testing, including next-generation sequencing (NGS)—a critical component of personalized cancer treatment. These advancements represent the level of impact the technology is expected to bring once it arrives at Saint Francis.
This grant reflects the Foundation’s longstanding commitment to enhancing pulmonary care at Saint Francis. To date, the Gawlicki Family Foundation has awarded more than $350,000 to support pulmonary rehabilitation programs at the hospital. The impact of these programs held deep personal significance for Mary Gawlicki, who lived with restrictive lung disease and was a patient at Saint Francis. She found remarkable benefit from the hospital’s pulmonary rehabilitation services, saying, “When you add technical experience to the availability of the knowledgeable and caring providers at Saint Francis, there is no other single program that was as helpful in managing my pulmonary restrictions.”
Mary passed away in 2023, but her legacy endures through the work of her husband, Ted Gawlicki, and the Foundation they established together in 2012. To date, the Gawlicki Family Foundation has awarded over $8 million to nearly 50 organizations, guided by the belief that private dollars power public progress.
Their continued partnership with Saint Francis reflects a shared commitment to advancing patient care through innovative technology, timely and accurate diagnosis, and transformative healthcare solutions. We extend our deepest gratitude to the Gawlicki Family Foundation for their investment in the future of pulmonary care at Saint Francis and in the health and well-being of our community.