Biomarker evaluation through image analysis

US9042630B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Definiens GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Gerd Binnig · Richterswil, CH
• Maria Athelogou · Munich, DE
• Guenter Schmidt · Leun, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 26, 2011
• Grant date: May 26, 2015
• Expiry date: Jul 6, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T2207/30024
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method for determining whether a test biomarker is a stain for a type of cell component, such as membrane or nucleus, involves performing various segmentation processes on an image of tissue stained with the test biomarker. One segmentation process searches for a first cell component type, and another segmentation process searches for a second cell component type by segmenting only stained pixels. The test biomarker is identified as a stain for each component type if the process identifies the component based only on stained pixels. Whether the test biomarker is a membrane stain or nucleus stain is displayed on a graphical user interface. In addition, the method identifies stained pixels corresponding to a second cell component using pixels determined to correspond to a first cell component. An expression profile for the test biomarker is then displayed that indicates the proportion of stained pixels in each type of cell component.