Image processing apparatus

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an area specifying unit that specifies a closed area emitting fluorescence in a fluorescence image as a cell area in a cell population including a number of dispersed cells. The fluorescence image is generated from fluorescence emitted by the cell population irradiated with a scanning laser beam. The apparatus also includes a nucleus data removing unit that removes data corresponding to a nucleus in the cell area; an overlapping cell specifying unit that specifies an overlapping cell area where cells overlap, based on a fluorescence intensity of a cytoplasm portion corresponding to an image where the data corresponding to the nucleus is removed; and an analyzed image generating unit that generates an analyzed image where data of the overlapping cell area is removed from the fluorescence image.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.