Systems and methods of unmixing images with varying acquisition properties
AssigneeVentana Medical Systems, Inc.
InventorsJoerg Bredno, Jim F. Martin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for unmixing of multichannel image data in the presence of locally varying image characteristics. Feature images created from a multi-channel input image form a feature vector for each pixel in the input image. Feature vectors are classified based on the local image characteristics, and areas are formed in the input image that share local image characteristics. Each area is unmixed separately using reference vectors that were obtained from regions in example images that have the same image characteristics. The unmixing results are combined to form a final unmixing result image created from the individually unmixed image areas.
Claims14
A medical image analysis method of unmixing color channels from a multi-channel image of a biological tissue sample stained with a plurality of stains, said method comprising:
- a. obtaining the multi-channel image comprising the plurality of stains, wherein a strength or intensity of the color channel of each stain varies depending on a local focus quality;
- b. classifying the multi-channel image into a plurality of regions based on the local focus quality;
- c. splitting the multi-channel image into a plurality of region images corresponding to the regions;
- d. for each region image, determining a plurality of reference vectors corresponding to the color channels for that local focus quality, wherein each reference vector comprises a red, a green, and a blue color component associated with each color channel;
- e. unmixing each region image using the reference vectors determined for the region image, wherein unmixing each region image results in a plurality of individual stain channel images;
- and
- f. combining the individual stain channel images of the region image into a combined stain channel image for each stain channel, thereby producing a plurality of combined stain channel images.
A method of unmixing color channels from a multi-channel image, said method comprising:
- a. obtaining the multi-channel image comprising a plurality of color channels mixed together;
- b. classifying the multi-channel image into a plurality of regions;
- c. splitting the multi-channel image into a plurality of region images corresponding to the regions;
- d. for each region image, determining a plurality of reference vectors corresponding to color channels in the multi-channel image, wherein each reference vector comprises a plurality of color components associated with each color channel;
- e. unmixing each region image using the reference vectors determined for the region image, wherein unmixing each region image results in a plurality of individual stain channel images;
- and
- f. combining the individual stain channel images of the region image into a combined stain channel image for each stain channel, thereby producing a plurality of combined stain channel images.
A medical image analysis system for unmixing color channels from a multi-channel image of a biological tissue sample stained with a plurality of stains, said system comprising:
- a. an image acquisition and storage system;
- b. a processor operatively coupled to the image acquisition and storage system;
- and
- c. a memory operatively coupled to the processor, configured to store digitally-encoded instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
- i. obtaining, from the image acquisition and storage system, the multi-channel image comprising the plurality of stains, wherein a strength or intensity of the color channel of each stain varies depending on a local focus quality;
- ii. classifying the multi-channel image into a plurality of regions based on the local focus quality;
- iii. splitting the multi-channel image into a plurality of region images corresponding to the regions;
- iv. for each region image, determining a plurality of reference vectors corresponding to the color channels for that local focus quality, wherein each reference vector comprises a red, a green, and a blue color component associated with each color channel;
- v. unmixing each region image using the reference vectors determined for the region image, wherein unmixing each region image results in a plurality of individual stain channel images;
- and
- vi. combining the individual stain channel images of the region image into a combined stain channel image for each stain channel, thereby producing a plurality of combined stain channel images.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for unmixing color channels from a multi-channel image, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a medical image system, cause the medical image system to perform operations comprising:
- i. obtaining, from an image acquisition and storage system, the multi-channel image comprising a plurality of color channels mixed together;
- ii. classifying the multi-channel image into a plurality of regions;
- iii. splitting the multi-channel image into a plurality of region images corresponding to the regions;
- iv. for each region image, determining a plurality of reference vectors corresponding to color channels of the multi-channel image, wherein each reference vector comprises a plurality of color components associated with each color channel;
- v. unmixing each region image using the reference vectors determined for the region image, wherein unmixing each region image results in a plurality of individual stain channel images;
- and
- vi. combining the individual stain channel images of the region image into a combined stain channel image for each stain channel, thereby producing a plurality of combined stain channel images.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.