System for high-throughput, automated design-based stereology

描述(申请人提供)：我们提出了一种由计算机显微镜系统组成的商业产品，该系统允许研究人员使用基于设计的体视学(DBS)以及细胞结构的自动重建(ROC)对神经系统的组织切片进行自动细胞计数和测量。DBS已成为生物医学研究中定量组织学的标准方法。ROC是一种新兴的技术，可以对整个大脑皮层区域的功能结构进行新的洞察。然而，尽管进行DBS和ROC的计算机显微镜系统取得了重大进展，但这两种方法仍然非常耗费人力和时间。该项目将通过在三维显微成像中引入一种新的图像表示方法以及新的数据收集方法来克服这一限制。我们相信，引入这里提出的强大的商业软件解决方案将极大地提高星展银行研究的吞吐量，并使基础神经科学以及制药和生物技术研发方面的新研究得以开展，这些研究目前由于涉及大量工作而无法实现。因此，这一新的软件解决方案将为开发复杂中枢神经系统疾病的新治疗策略提供更好的基础。 公共卫生相关性：基于设计的体视学和细胞建筑学研究产生了关于神经系统的组织和组成的重要信息，然而这些分析是乏味的和劳动密集型的。该项目将一种用于执行高通量基于设计的体视学和自动细胞结构重建的创新系统商业化，以快速获得关于中枢神经系统中感兴趣的神经元、胶质细胞和其他细胞和结构的数量和分布的信息。与目前的方法相比，高通量、精确、准确和无偏见的加速量化将使神经科学研究中的重要新研究成为可能，而这些研究目前还不可行。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose a commercial product composed of a computerized microscope system that allows investigators to perform automated cell counting and measuring using design-based stereology (DBS), as well as automated reconstruction of cytoarchitecture (ROC), on tissue sections from the nervous system. DBS has become the standard methodology for quantitative histology used in biomedical research. ROC is an emerging technique to get novel insight into the functional architecture of entire cortical areas. However, despite significant progress obtained with computer- based microscopy systems that perform DBS and ROC, both methods remain very labor intensive and time consuming to perform. The proposed project shall overcome this limitation by introducing a novel image representation approach in three-dimensional microscopic imaging, as well as novel data collection methods. We believe that introduction of the robust commercial software solution proposed here will greatly improve throughput for DBS studies, and enable new studies in basic neuroscience and pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development which are not currently feasible due to the significant amount of work involved. Thus, this novel software solution will provide an improved basis for developing novel treatment strategies for complex CNS diseases. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Design-based stereology and cytoarchitectonic studies yield important information about the organization and composition of the nervous system, however these analyses are tedious and labor- intensive. This project commercializes an innovative system for performing high throughput design- based stereology and automated cytoarchitecture reconstruction to rapidly obtain information about number and distribution of neurons, glia and other cells and structures of interest in the central nervous system. High throughput, precise, accurate, and unbiased quantification at an accelerated rate over current methods will enable important new studies in neuroscience research that are not feasible at this time.