Method and apparatus for analyzing images

A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a processor in a computer system to analyze one or more two dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DGE) images, said computer program logic comprising:

• (1) at least one routine for capturing a new image of an electrophoresis gel containing at affected and/or unaffected proteins, wherein said new image contains an undetermined position and integrated optical density percentage (IOD %) corresponding to each said protein;
• (2) at least one routine for generating a master composite image which is used to analyze the new image, wherein said master composite image contains a plurality of master composite spots, each master composite spot being defined by at least an IOD % and a position;
• (3) at least one routine for generating a master composite spot data list, wherein the master composite spot data list comprises at least a position, an IOD %, a unique spot identifier, and the variability of the spot for the position and IOD %, for each of the plurality of master composite spots;
• (4) at least one routine for aligning said new image with said master composite image;
• (5) at least one routine for determining the position and IOD % of new image spots corresponding to proteins using the spot data information from the master composite image to guide the search for and identification of new image spots that have a position that is within a position tolerance of the position of the corresponding master composite spots and that have an IOD % that is within an IOD % tolerance of the IOD % of corresponding master composite spots to form a set of matched new image spots corresponding to unaffected proteins;
• (6) at least one routine for determining the position and IOD % of new image spots corresponding to proteins using the spot data information from said master composite image to guide the search for and identification of new image spots that have a position that is within a position tolerance of the position of the corresponding master composite spots but that have an IOD % that is outside the IOD % tolerance of the IOD % of corresponding master composite spots, to form a set of matched new image spots corresponding to affected proteins;
• and
• (7) at least one routine for searching the new image outside of the set of matched new image spots to determine the position and IOD % of unidentified new image spots corresponding to proteins,
• wherein the spots detected in steps 6 and 7 represent affected proteins.