System for high-throughput, automated design-based stereology

描述（由申请人提供）：我们提出了一种由计算机化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）对神经系统的组织切片进行自动细胞计数和测量，以及自动细胞结构重建（ROC）。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，以获得新的洞察整个皮层区域的功能架构。然而，尽管执行DBS和ROC的基于计算机的显微镜系统取得了重大进展，但这两种方法仍然非常劳动密集且耗时。拟议的项目将通过在三维显微成像中引入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，引入本文提出的强大商业软件解决方案将大大提高DBS研究的吞吐量，并实现基础神经科学以及制药和生物技术研发领域的新研究，这些研究目前由于涉及大量工作而不可行。因此，这种新的软件解决方案将为开发复杂CNS疾病的新治疗策略提供改进的基础。 公共卫生相关性：基于设计的体视学和细胞结构学研究产生关于神经系统的组织和组成的重要信息，然而这些分析是繁琐且劳动密集的。该项目商业化了一种创新系统，用于执行基于高通量设计的体视学和自动化细胞结构重建，以快速获得关于中枢神经系统中神经元、神经胶质和其他感兴趣的细胞和结构的数量和分布的信息。高通量，精确，准确和无偏的定量，在当前方法的加速率将使重要的新研究在神经科学研究，是不可行的，在这个时候。

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.