Automated image analysis methods are indispensable for modern bioscience, understanding how genes are expressed in proteins and the role of these proteins in the life and development of cells require quantitative analysis of millions of microscopic images of different kinds. We have for many years been involved in developing image analysis tools for this. Also in this area there is a strong trend towards 3D images with corresponding need for 3D algorithms.
A large part of our work deals with fluorescent light microscopy images, where we develop methods to detect and resolve signals from single molecules and to segment the images to find out from what structures the signals comes. Carolina Wählby has with joint appointments at CBA and the Rudbeck Laboratory at UU been a key-person in this work. The work has during the year received new funding from EU through the ENLIGHT project. Students Amalka Pinidiyaarachchi, Milan Gavrilovic and Amin Allalou has also been active in this area.
The studies of single molecules is carried to an even higher resolution level, voxel sizes around 2 nm, through our work on cryo-electron tomography images. Here, Stina Svensson and PhD student Magnus Gedda is working to recognize, decompose and analyse the shape of proteins. The work is funded by the Swedish Research Council, Vetenskapsrådet (VR).
In another VR funded project in collaboration with Carina Johansson at Örebro University, we are developing methods for evaluation of the integration of bone implants. Here, micro CT is a promising new imaging technique. This work is carried out by our new PhD student Hamid Sarve.
Muscle cells are the largest cells of the body and each cell can have many nuclei. The spatial distribution of these nuceli is of interest for understanding the function of the cells and some diseases, but this has previously not been studied in real 3D images. With new funding from VR PhD student Patrick Karlsson and Joakim Lindblad have recently started work on this in cooperation with the Dept. of Neuroscience at UU.