Since Dr. George Papanicolaou introduced his test for cervical cancer in the 1940s, scientists and clinicians have sought to improve the technology and ease the laborious nature of the work. In the late 1980s, Cytyc was working to develop a system for automated computer image analysis of Pap smears. It became apparent that the main obstacle to computer imaging was the poor quality of the conventional Pap smear.

In a prime example of the adage "necessity is the mother of invention," Cytyc's scientists and engineers turned their attention to developing a better way to prepare Pap test slides for cervical screening that would be clearer, more accurate, and easier to read. Thus, the ThinPrep® System was born, resulting in improved accuracy and slide quality for both manual and computerized assessment.