Information processing apparatus, microscope system, and information processing method

A microscope system comprising:

• a light irradiation unit configured to emit excitation light that excites a fluorescent reagent;
• an imaging device configured to image a specimen being irradiated with the excitation light, to acquire a specimen fluorescence spectrum;
• and
• an information processing apparatus configured to analyze the specimen fluorescence spectrum, wherein
• the information processing apparatus includes:
• a first separation unit configured to separate a stained specimen fluorescence spectrum into a stained fluorescence component image containing the fluorescent reagent and a stained autofluorescence component image containing an autofluorescence component by using a fluorescence reference spectrum and an autofluorescence reference spectrum, the stained specimen fluorescence spectrum being acquired by irradiating, with the excitation light, a fluorescent-stained specimen obtained by labeling a specimen with the fluorescent reagent;
• a second separation unit configured to separate an unstained specimen fluorescence spectrum into an unstained fluorescence component image containing the fluorescent reagent and an unstained autofluorescence component image containing the autofluorescence component by using the fluorescence reference spectrum and the autofluorescence reference spectrum, the unstained specimen fluorescence spectrum being acquired by irradiating, with the excitation light, a fluorescent-unstained specimen that is not labeled with the fluorescent reagent;
• and
• a threshold value determination unit configured to determine a positive threshold value that is to be compared with image data of a plurality of image sections included in the stained fluorescence component image on a basis of the stained fluorescence component image, the positive threshold value being a criterion for determining whether or not each of the plurality of image sections corresponds to a positive cell image.

An information processing method comprising:

• a process of separating a stained specimen fluorescence spectrum into a stained fluorescence component image containing a fluorescent reagent and a stained autofluorescence component image containing an autofluorescence component by using a fluorescence reference spectrum and an autofluorescence reference spectrum, the stained specimen fluorescence spectrum being acquired by irradiating, with excitation light, a fluorescent-stained specimen obtained by labeling a specimen with the fluorescent reagent;
• a process of separating an unstained specimen fluorescence spectrum into an unstained fluorescence component image containing the fluorescent reagent and an unstained autofluorescence component image containing the autofluorescence component by using the fluorescence reference spectrum and the autofluorescence reference spectrum, the unstained specimen fluorescence spectrum being acquired by irradiating, with the excitation light, a fluorescent-unstained specimen that is not labeled with the fluorescent reagent;
• a process of determining a positive threshold value that is to be compared with image data of a plurality of image sections included in the stained fluorescence component image on a basis of the stained fluorescence component image, the positive threshold value being a criterion for determining whether or not each of the plurality of image sections corresponds to a positive cell image;
• and
• a process of outputting the positive threshold value.