Methods for measuring and reporting vascularity in a tissue sample
AssigneeFlagship Biosciences, Inc.
InventorSteven J. Potts
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The instant disclosure describes a method for measuring and reporting vascularity in a biological tissue sample. The method generally includes: within a digital image of a tissue section, (i) identifying endothelial cells, lymphatic cells, or a combination thereof; (ii) mapping one or more proximity regions, each of the proximity regions defining an area between detected vessels and a first distance outwardly therefrom; and (iii) calculating one or more of: a vessel proximity score or a hypoxia score, wherein the vessel proximity score relates a composition of objects within the proximity regions, and wherein the hypoxia score relates a composition of tissue within or outside of the proximity regions, respectively.
Claims1
A method for measuring and reporting vascularity in a biological tissue sample, comprising:
- obtaining one or more tissue sections from the tissue sample;
- staining each of said one or more tissue sections with:
- a first stain or dye for differentiating endothelial cells, lymphatic cells, or a combination thereof;
- acquiring at least a first digital image, the first digital image capturing at least a portion of a first tissue section of the one or more stained tissue sections;
- within the first digital image of the first tissue section or portion thereof:
- detecting at least one of:
- fully formed vessels and vessel fragments using visual characteristics associated with the first stain or dye;
- displaying on said first digital image one or more first proximity regions, each of the first proximity regions comprising an area between the detected vessels and a first distance outwardly therefrom;
- detecting tissue outside of the detected vessels;
- calculating a tissue hypoxia score, wherein the tissue hypoxia score comprises one of:
- a percentage of the tissue disposed outside of the first proximity regions, or
- a percentage of the tissue disposed within the first proximity regions;
- and
- recording the tissue hypoxia score;
- and
- further within the first digital image:
- annotating one or more regions of interest;
- calculating a vascular heterogeneity score comprising one or more of:
- a standard deviation, ecology indices, skewness, or a combination thereof;
- and
- recording the vascular heterogeneity score.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.